f i v e

During the entire walk back home, Minah couldn't help the feeling of guilt that overcame her. Never had she yelled at any of her sons before. Yes, she was strict sometimes when she felt the need to discipline them regarding any matter, but she had never done anything that would make the boys feel afraid of her. She wanted to be a person they could look up to, not someone who they would run away from out of fear. If she acted in a way that would scare them, then what was the difference between her and that man?

Baekhyun peeked glances every now and then at his younger brother as they walked, but the little guy was not meeting anyone's eyes. His gait was gloomy, gaze fixed ahead of him as he unwillingly dragged his feet along, his hand being held firmly by his mother's. The older son looked up at the woman, concerned, but didn't say anything even after they reached home.

No sooner had they stepped inside the house, than Minah let go of their hands, before crouching down in front of Sehun, gingerly taking a hold of his small arms.

"Baby, I'm so, so sorry, that was very wrong of me," she said, voice dropping to a whisper as she looked at the boy pleadingly. "But please try to understand, that man is still a stranger to us, and you know it can be dangerous to interact with strangers, don't you?" She tried to explain, lightly patting his cheek.

"Mr. Cat Man is not a stranger!" Sehun insisted with a huff. "He is Nini's daddy, and the kitten liked him," he added, before shrugging off her hold on him and running upstairs to his room. The lady watched, helpless, sighing as she wondered exactly how Mr. Grumpy had had such an effect on her son. Who's 'Nini', though? She thought, it must be one of his sons' nicknames.

Minah felt a touch on her forearm, and turned her head to look at Baekhyun, who gave her a small smile. "Don't worry Mom, I'll talk to him," he reassured her, scurrying up the stairs as he followed his brother. She chuckled to herself; he seemed quite responsible and mature for a six-year-old sometimes. Shaking her head, she stood up, walking over to prepare lunch for herself as she felt her stomach growl, as well as some afternoon snacks for her sons. Hopefully, Baekhyun would manage to calm Sehun down by the time she was done with the cooking. The older kid always had a way with words.

"Hey, hero," Baekhyun said as soon as he walked into their room. His brother was sitting on the bed with his knees drawn close to his chest, his back facing the door. The older boy trotted over, climbing up on the bed to sit beside Sehun, gently placing an arm around the kid's shoulder. "Are you mad at her?" He asked softly, watching the other's expression carefully.

Sehun shook his head, but his face said otherwise. "Why won't she let me play with him? He is a nice man!" He continued to argue, although his voice seemed a lot softer than it had been a few moments ago. Resigned, even. "Nini also said he's a nice man, even if he shouts at them," he mumbled, burying his face in his knees. His brother patted him on the back, then lightly his hair.

"Sehunnie, I'm sure he must be a very good man," he began, "but none of us know much about him, especially Mom. They haven't really talked too much, and you know how protective she can be. I'm sure she didn't mean to yell at you like that. Cheer up, okay?" He said, smiling as he hopped off the bed, giving a hand to Sehun to help him climb down. "Now, won't you apologise to her like the good boy you are?"

Sehun nodded vigorously, his gloominess vanishing quickly as he ran out of the room to find his mother. Baekhyun watched the other boy go, quite proud of himself as he walked out as well, a bright grin on his face.

Monday morning, Kim Jongdae walked into the office to see Minseok putting his things back into his laptop bag, looking like he was packing to go home. "Taking a leave today?" He asked, a slight frown on his face. Unless he was seriously ill, Minseok never took days off from work. He was one of those extremely dedicated employees, quite a few important decisions depending on him. And as head of the finance department, the company always needed the older man to be on his best performance. "Are you not feeling well?" He added, getting a little worried at the mild scowl on the other's face.

Minseok sighed, slinging his bag over one shoulder as he finally looked up at Jongdae, and shook his head. "I'm fine, but I'm not sure if the boss is," he said in a low voice. "There's this advertisement company with whom he has just made a contract, and he wants me to go and meet the creative director to finalise the details of the adverts. Some woman called Lee Minah," he explained, rolling his eyes at the end of it. Another woman to handle.

The younger guy looked on in utter confusion, raising his hands questioningly in the other's direction. "But you're in Finance. Isn't that the job of the marketing team?" He received a shrug in reply, as well as another sigh.

"The marketing team is currently busy with an upcoming project, and apparently, since 'I know the company very well'," he said, making double quotes in the air with his hands, "the CEO would rather send me instead of any other employee." He shook his head, adjusting the strap of the bag on his shoulder as he began to head out, giving Jongdae a little wave.

"Well, good luck!" Jongdae said, holding out two thumbs up with a grin, and Minseok couldn't help the little wry smile that crossed his face involuntarily as he headed out to a nearby café, that was supposed to be their meeting point.

The lady's phone rang just as she was entering the café, and she dug inside her purse. She blinked, seeing the unknown number flashing across the phone's screen, before picking up the call. "Hello?"

"Is this Miss Lee Minah?" The voice on the other end asked, and she replied with a short 'yes'. "This is Kim Minseok, I'm at a corner table."

"Okay, I'll be there," she said, disconnecting the call as she frowned. Where have I heard that voice before? She asked herself mentally as she scanned the area. The only occupied corner table was at the far end of the café, the lone occupant sitting with his back facing her. She rolled her eyes as she walked towards the table; clearly, this guy did not know that he should be facing the entrance while meeting an unfamiliar face for the first time.

"Kim Minseok?" She asked as she got closer to the man, only to groan out loud as she got a good look at his face. So that's why his voice had seemed so familiar to her. She sighed loudly as she sat down in front of him, taking in the slight shock in his eyes as he stared at her in disbelief.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said finally as he brought a hand to his face, rubbing it in frustration before looking back at her. "Are you seriously the creative director I'm supposed to meet?"

"Apparently, yes," Minah said, shrugging, a neutral look on her face. Whatever anger and disappointment she had towards the man's behaviour in general, she wasn't going to let that get in the way of her work. By the determined expression he was showing, she knew he was thinking the same way, and she shoved all other thoughts aside as they began to discuss the details, patiently listening to him as he talked about the company and what they wanted to be included in the advertisement. Well, at least I know his name now, she thought smugly.

The two of them had begun to meet at least once every week, since this particular contract had multiple aspects that had to be taken care of. Also, having signed a long term contract with the advertisement company meant that they would be paying for quite a large number of various adverts, not just one or two. Minseok wouldn't have really admitted it to her, but he found Lee Minah somewhat impressive when it came to her work; she had tried a couple times to talk about topics that were not related to their work, but after he showed no interest whatsoever, she had given up. She was a diligent, hardworking lady, and he knew exactly why she was so dedicated to her job. It would have been not too different from his reason: the kids. No matter how strict he was when it came to the boys, he had to ensure that they were well taken care of.

Which is why he also made it a point to be able to personally go and pick them up from their respective schools. Granted, they weren't too fond of him, but he would rather take the responsibility upon himself than assign it to some stranger, or to a hormonal teenager who babysat mainly for the money.

They were his sons, something his wife had left behind, the only living thing of hers that remained with him. They reminded him of her in moments of utter sorrow or despair, and had picked up so many of her traits at such a young age. He would constantly be reminded of his late wife's playful side whenever he looked at Jongin, and Junmyeon had that sense of maturity and level-headedness of hers, that would have even rivaled his own at times. And Chanyeol? He wasn't related to any of them by blood, yet somehow, he always had a smile on his cute little face. Minseok didn't know whether that was by coincidence or not -- after all, the boys' mother always said that we should face our problems with a dazzling smile -- but he would see the face of that woman every time the child smiled. The only woman he had ever loved in his entire life of thirty years, and she had left him all alone in this world.

He had no idea how, but little by little, he was starting to get comfortable in Minah's presence as the days passed. Even if their relationship was strictly professional, he felt at ease in her company, as compared to their previous interactions, where the mere sight of the lady would make him want to leave. Sometimes, at the back of his mind, he wondered if she felt the same way; after all, she was still the polite but cheerful woman she had always been with him, but now, there was a certain spark in her eyes and a slight spring in her step whenever he met her. He made a mental note to stay a bit guarded when he was with her, though, he did not want her to know too much about him.

Presently, he was in the elementary school, leaning against the wall, phone in hand like always, as he watched the other kids leave with their parents. Junmyeon was standing by his side, busying himself with a storybook. Minseok wanted nothing but to drop the kids off at home and go back to work, but a certain little boy by the name of Chanyeol was not letting him do so.

The kid was playing with Baekhyun and Jongin off to a side of the corridor. His son had insisted that they stay with Baekhyun till the time his mother arrived, because 'he didn't want to leave his best friend alone', and the man had reluctantly agreed. It was strange, however, that the lady had not yet arrived; usually, she would be at the school even before he came. She was always so punctual, so what was taking her so long?

Minseok glanced at his watch; almost half an hour had passed since the school ended, and she was still not there. By now, all the kids had left with their parents, with the exception of Baekhyun, and his sons. He sighed, keeping his phone back into the pocket of his trousers as he looked at the kids. Even they were starting to get bored, and Minah's son had gone surprisingly silent. From where he stood, he could see the little boy dip his head, and his shoulders started shaking.

He hadn't even pushed himself off the wall when the boy let out a loud wail, startling everyone around him. Big fat tears began rolling down his cheeks, and Chanyeol looked at his father in disbelief and slight fear, helplessness etched on his face as the man walked closer. Along with a couple teachers who had stayed back, they all crowded around Baekhyun. Minseok crouched down in front of the kid, patting his head consistently as he tried to calm the boy down. His voice was uncharacteristically caring and soft as he proceeded to hold the child closer to him, almost hugging him in an attempt to comfort him, whispering "shhh", "don't cry", and "it's okay" over and over again. His shirt was probably getting wet from all the tears being shed by Baekhyun as the kid buried his face in the man's chest, but Minseok could care less about that at the moment.

His sons stood next to him, Jongin sniffing loudly as he tried his best not to cry, while Junmyeon hugged the youngest comfortingly. Chanyeol was as still as a statue; he still couldn't believe that his cheerful best friend had suddenly burst out crying.

Minseok could hear tiny, weak whimpers from Baekhyun, saying that he wanted his mom, and directed his attention towards Chanyeol. "Take my phone out of the pocket, hurry," he said, an urgent tone to his voice, and the boy obeyed immediately, handing his father the mobile phone within a few seconds. With one hand, the adult male dialed Minah's number, his other hand lightly the boy's back as Baekhyun tightly clung to his shirt, most probably wanting some form of human contact.

"Darn old woman," Minah muttered under her breath as she walked at a brisk pace, making sure not to curse out loud. She couldn't be too fast, however, since that would most likely tire poor Sehun out. The kid was staring at her curiously as they walked over to the elementary school, his hand enclosed in hers. It was bad enough that she had been delayed by a few minutes because of work, but it was even worse luck that she had run into a middle-aged lady from her neighbourhood, who just wouldn't stop talking. And now she knew that she was terribly late.

They were nearing the school when her phone rang, and she quickly fished it out of her purse, frowning at the name displayed on the screen. "Hello?"

"Baekhyun!"

Everyone turned to look at the woman as she ran inside, hurrying past the teachers to get to her son. Finally seeing his mother, a fresh bout of tears welled up in Baekhyun's eyes as he detached himself from the man and darted into her embrace. The woman got down on her knees, engulfing her older son into a hug as the younger one scurried to stand next to her, wide eyes staring at his brother in innocent curiosity.

Minah whispered one apology after another, her hands constantly the boy's back and hair even as he refused to stop crying. After a few minutes -- but what seemed like an eternity to the people watching them -- Baekhyun finally quieted down, his cries turning into soft sobs, and he looked up at his mother with a sniffle.

"I thought you wouldn't come back for me," he whispered, voice hoarse from crying, and Minah had to resist the urge to cry herself as she cupped his face in her hands, gently wiping his tears with her thumbs as she shook her head.

"I would never do that, baby," she whispered back assuredly, giving him a tender smile. "Sehun and I love you so much, we won't ever leave you alone," she continued, her voice cracking slightly with emotion, "I'm just so sorry that I was late."

Sensing that his older brother had calmed down a little, the youngest kid of the bunch jumped ahead, hugging Baekhyun as tightly as he could. Chanyeol, who had been observing the whole scene while holding onto his father's pant leg, took slow, cautious steps towards his friend. Soon, Minseok's sons had surrounded their little pal, and did their own share of consoling him as Minah took this chance to talk to the teachers, apologising to them as well for her delay.

"I've never seen him cry before," Minseok commented casually as they walked out of the school. The kids had taken it upon themselves to make sure that Baekhyun was back to being the happy and bright boy, and were doing everything they could to cheer him up. The two adults walked behind the boys, keeping a leisurely pace even as they kept an eye on the kids. Minah glanced at the man, smiling wryly as she looked in front at the child in question.

"He rarely ever cries now, although he was a crybaby when he was just a toddler," she said, shaking her head at the memory of a perpetually teary-eyed and snot-nosed Baekhyun, who would bawl at the smallest of reasons. Secretly, she wondered if the guy had heard any of the conversation between Baekhyun and her a few minutes ago.

"May I ask what that was about? When he thought you wouldn't come for him?" He asked, gazing at her intently. So he did hear that, she thought. "I mean, if you're okay with talking about it," he added hastily, which made Minah smile faintly. The two of them had, through their usual meetings, mutually learned to keep their distance from each other's personal lives. However, due to these very meetings, it felt as if they had become a bit closer when it came to their relaxed conversations. They also met almost every day at the boys' schools, and their awkwardness and hostility around each other had faded slightly. Which is why Minah thought it would be okay to answer his question.

"Baekhyun was abandoned by his birth mother when he was barely two years old. I thought he would be over that by now, but I guess there's still a lingering fear at the back of his mind about the whole thing. He's still too sensitive sometimes, he can't stand being alone for a long period of time," she explained, sighing at the end of it as she ran a hand through her hair. Beside her, Minseok seemed shocked, which was understandable.

"Wait, so you mean, he's not your..." he trailed off, eyes wide in bewilderment.

"My biological son?" She finished, shaking her head as a 'no' with another smile; however, this one didn't quite reach her eyes. "Neither is Sehun. But I think I love them more than I would have ever loved my own offspring," she admitted, then corrected herself with a firm nod. "No, I do love them more."

Out of the corner of an eye, Minah could see Mr. Grumpy -- who was not so grumpy nowadays -- trying his best to absorb everything she had said, and he finally looked back at her, a different expression in his eyes.

"I would have never guessed," he confessed in a quiet voice, a frown painted on his handsome face. "So you brought both of them up on your own? That's... not an easy feat," he said reluctantly, his lips stretching into a small but genuine smile as he gazed at her, meeting her eyes. Although, he was surprised to see her chocolate brown orbs glaze over with an emotion he could not discern as she immediately clammed up, hurriedly looking away.

Minseok's smile dropped promptly, getting the feeling that he had struck a bad nerve.

Ever since the incident at school a while ago, he had completely forgotten about having to hurry back to work, his mind preoccupied by the woman and her sons. Having overheard the talk between her and Baekhyun, his curiosity about the family had piqued quite a bit, and he couldn't stop himself from asking her about it.

He was in for a shock when she revealed that both of her sons were adopted. Yes, he did adopt Chanyeol, and he loved all his sons equally, but after witnessing the love and adoration between Minah and her boys, he would have never thought that they weren't her own sons. That sparked a new sentiment in his mind about her: admiration. Going by the way she had reacted when he had inquired about her 'husband', there was no doubt about her being a single mother, and raising two little boys on her own was really commendable.

He failed to understand exactly what, about his words, had made her react the way she had. One moment, she was freely talking about her past -- or a little of it -- and the other, she had just clamped shut. She even refused to look him in the eye after that, giving him and his sons a half-hearted wave as they reached the block where they would go their separate ways.

For the first time in his life, Minseok felt something for the woman that he had never felt before: concern.

Author's Note:

Gosh dang, this was difficult! I had to add quite a bit of drama without making it seem too boring (I seriously hope I didn't bore anyone too much). Not to mention that I wasn't feeling all too well at the beginning of the week. It was almost as if I had lost the inspiration to write.

This chapter is a tad bit shorter than the previous one, but I intended to reveal a few things about them, which I did. Hopefully, it's all clear, with no confusion.

I can't believe how soft I've made Minseok in this chapter, but I guess that's called character development. The two of them have gotten closer, so yay for whoever ships them! (But don't tell them, shhh)

As always, hope you liked it! Would love to hear from you guys ^_^