Everyone, welcome to the show. It is I once again, your favorite late-night radio show host, Shin Hyesung. Happy to meet you all once more. Hehehe.

 

I had such an interesting and busy day today. Let me tell you a bit about it.

 

I had to go to my son’s school to speak to his teacher. I went with another parent, my son’s best friend’s father…let’s call my son’s best friend Geomdol, because he reminds me of a baby bear. Hehe. So I went with Geomdori-appa and…we found out some interesting things about our kids.

 

I don’t know if a lot of you will be able to relate but…it’s so strange realizing sometimes how your kids are their own person, and when they go to school, it’s an aspect of theirs that’s untouchable to you, as a parent.

 

You don’t fully know how they play with other kids, or how they answer in class, or if they’re even liked. Geomdori-appa and I were fairly shocked to know that one of our kids was being teased. I didn’t like knowing that, and I really wanted to sit all the other parents down and tell them to raise their kids properly.

 

But Geomdori-appa was very calm about it and it made me step back a bit so that I could analyze the situation better.

 

I don’t like anyone teasing or hurting my kid. But I also realize this is inevitable.

 

Sometimes other people hurt the ones you love the most and the only thing you can do is to let them go through the experience, but then you can help them afterward and try to make them feel better…

 

Omo…I’m getting tears in my eyes just thinking of people hurting my son. Ugh. Sorry. That’s not a great way to start the show. Hahaha. But I know my son is strong enough, and I, as his father, have to be equally strong. After all, he’d only have me to emulate right? Hahaha.

 

To all parents out there who are worrying for their children, fighting! We worry because we love them, and want nothing more than to protect them. But sometimes we have to take a step back and let them figure things out on their own. I also have to learn this. Hahaha. Geomdori-appa is I think way ahead of me in this aspect. I know he isn’t listening so I can say this out loud. Hahahaha.

 

Anyway, I didn’t mean to have such an emotional start for the show, so what say we lighten things up a bit? Here’s Maybe I by Roy Kim to get us in a better mood.

 

Enjoy.

 

--

 

Rich Bastard

 

23:28

Eric Mun.

No need to reply but…

Tell me when you talk to Andy ok

And how it goes.

I’ll talk to Choongjae then.

 

23:30

Fighting!

 

23:31

Ok forget I said that last thing.

Just tell me when you’ve done it

Ok?

 

23:32

Talk to you then.

 

23:34

P.S. Send me the pics you took, you smug bastard, I already gave you yours

P.P.S. Don’t you dare try to sell them; I will sue you

 

--

 

“Bullied?” Minwoo looks so incensed at the word that Eric can nearly see fire in his eyes. “Our Andy? Bullied?”

 

“Bullied?” Dongwan echoes from his spot at the bar where he’s trying to color-correct new photos for the Wolf and Rabbit’s Instagram. “You mean at school?”

 

Eric sighs. It’s been a handful of days since the Parent-Teacher conference, but he hasn’t come close to asking Andy about it at all. Part of it is because he insisted on observing his son first from a distance to see if there would be any marked differences in behavior that could be attributed to trouble at school, but he’s so far come up empty-handed. Andy is friendly, laughs out loud, and is often mischievous. The temper tantrums have been reduced to a smattering, and even when it occurs, it’s not as difficult to manage as they would have been months before. 

 

“Yah.” Minwoo throws a dish towel at him from behind a puff of steam; he’s cleaning up the espresso machine while the rest of the staff are attending to the small crowd occupying the café. “You mean this is what you and the teacher had discussed at the Parent-Teacher Conference and you didn’t tell me?”

 

Eric stares at him pointedly from his spot at the cashier. “What would you have done then? I mean it’s not something you’d want to go to your kid’s school for. It just came up out of the blue.”

 

“Are you kidding me??” Minwoo yelps dramatically. “My baby is being bullied! How can you just calmly stand there? What are they even bullying him for?”

 

“Little things.”

 

“What ‘little things’?”

 

“You know.” Eric exhales a breath. “Not having a mom, not being able to speak Korean…”

 

Dongwan tsks, never taking his eyes off of the laptop in front of him. He ignores as Minwoo lets out a stream of choice swear words directed at a bunch of six- and seven-year-olds he doesn’t even know. “Kids can be pretty cruel,” he says, tapping on the keys. “I was afraid of Junjin getting that treatment too so I’ve tried to prevent it from happening since he started going to school.”

 

“Oh?” Eric asks with a raised eyebrow. “How’d you do that?”

 

“Told him to sock ‘em all in the nose if they so much as made fun of him.”

 

Eric rolls his eyes as Minwoo groans, “Great going. You’ll have turned your only nephew into a juvenile delinquent before he turns 10.”

 

Dongwan scoffs. “Junjin can keep his temper in check. He’s much better at it than Hyesung, that’s for sure. And better he gets in a little bit of trouble than Hyesung getting sent to jail for socking another parent in the mouth or something.” Eric doesn’t miss as Dongwan gestures to him. “I mean…you’ve seen what Hyesung is capable of doing when Junjin is involved.”

 

A smile creeps across Eric’s face despite the distant memory of Hyesung’s fist connecting with his jaw, but neither Minwoo nor Dongwan notices. Minwoo is still busy ranting from where he’s standing, like an irate Napoleon.

 

“Yah, Eric. Go call another Parent-Teacher conference,” Minwoo says. “This will not stand. I need to speak to those other kids.”

 

Eric snorts. “You and Hyesung both. What is with you guys and demanding immediate reparations?”

 

“Is he okay though?” Dongwan asks.

 

“Hyesung?” Eric asks, confused as to why Dongwan would even ask him about his brother-in-law.

 

“No, idiot. Andy.” Dongwan raises an eyebrow as he looks up at him, his expression questioning. “Why would I ask about Hyesung…?”

 

Eric’s face suddenly feels enflamed. “I mean…” he stammers as he backtracks over his statement. “Of course, Andy’s fine. He’s not having any trouble at all, which is why I’ve not been able to really figure out what to do. I don’t want to rock the boat too much…”

 

“What about Junjin? Hyesung was there when the teacher spoke to you, right?” Minwoo asks. “Aren’t they always together? I’m surprised you haven’t been called into a PTC sooner.”

 

“Junjin was actually sticking up for Andy. They haven’t fought anyone. It’s not a problem—”

 

“To you, maybe.” Minwoo says hotly. “He’s a kid, Eric, and this is a foreign country. Well, for him at least. I was bullied when I first moved to a US school. Remember? It’s how we met!”

 

Dongwan perks up, obviously interested in the story. “You were bullied? That’s news. Didn’t think you were the type.”

 

“I was a runt of a kid and I couldn’t speak English properly yet, what’d you think would happen?” Minwoo shrugs. “Luckily, Eric saved my …several times. Hey…” he snaps to attention. “Maybe Junjin is the karmic equivalent of that!”

 

“Nice.” Dongwan grins. “I like that idea. It’s like…we were all meant to meet somewhat. Not that I like the bullying narrative, however…”

 

Eric is already feeling a headache building. He regrets ever raising the topic to both Dongwan and Minwoo.

 

“Hyesung and I have already discussed it. We’ll handle it.” He says, without even bother to think about the implications of his statement. “We’ll work it out among ourselves and between the boys. If we need any extra hands, we’ll be sure to tell you.”

 

“‘We’, huh?” Dongwan says, a shadow of a smirk on his face. Minwoo is still too preoccupied with muttering to himself about his plans to ring up the school board to even notice what Eric had said. “You guys are getting along well now?”

 

“Just for the kids.” Eric scowls. “Only for the kids. Don’t get too excited.”

 

“Right.” Dongwan nods, looking thoroughly unconvinced. “Right. Right. Right.”

 

--

 

He decides to broach the topic that night. Eric struggles with finding the perfect timing: between homework, dinner, and bath time it’s a constant struggle to keep Andy calm and focused. The opportunity only arises at bedtime, when Andy is already tucked in and asks for a story: for the first time, he chooses the Korean book of fairy tales for Eric to read.

 

“You sure?” Eric asks his son as Andy settles down in bed. His fingers ghost over the colorful Hangul on the book cover.

 

Andy nods. “Teacher Amy said I should listen to Korean stories to help my Korean.”

 

“She did, huh?” Eric studies his son, still feeling off-kilter about the whole situation. Andy seems happy, but the thought that he may not actually be so, especially when Eric isn’t there to protect him, makes him feel slightly sick. It’s the same thought that finally pushes him to say: “Bubba. Can I ask you something?”

 

“Hm?” Andy looks up at him, his eyes wide with interest. “Sure, Daddy.”

 

Game time.

 

“Are you…” He stumbles a bit with his words, but is quick to pick himself back up before he loses his entire nerve. “Are you having a hard time with the other kids in your school?”

 

“Like how?”

 

“Like…” Eric tries to be delicate with his approach but gives up easily; there really is no better way to put it apart from just facing it head-on. “Do they…you know…tease you or anything? Do they hurt your feelings? Or call you names?”

 

Andy’s eyes drop down to the blanket as though embarrassed, and Eric’s heart sinks at the sight. So it was true.

 

“They only did it sometimes.” The boy says. “They don’t do it anymore.”

 

“Oh, honey.” Eric sighs. Confirming something he already knew had happened doesn’t bring him comfort in the slightest; it hurts more hearing it from Andy. He scoots closer to his son and gives him a tight hug. “You could’ve told me. Why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you.”

 

“It’s okay, Daddy,” Andy insists. “Jinnie helped. So now they don’t tease me anymore. And they play with me now too.”

 

“Did they say anything…about Mama?”

 

“Yeah.” Eric sees as Andy’s fingers tighten around the covers. “They asked where she was and I told them I don’t know…but Jinnie helped me too. He told them he was like me and he didn’t have a Mama either...”

 

“And what did the other kids say?”

 

“They laughed but Jinnie said it’s okay. He said it’s better our Mamas aren’t there because we can take our Mamas everywhere we go.”

 

The confession seems to permeate deep within Eric’s soul and lodges a lump in his throat. For a second, he can relate to the white-hot rage Hyesung must have felt when they were being told this at the school. He opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted when Andy suddenly adds: “But it’s okay, Daddy. They don’t do it anymore.”

 

It really isn’t okay, Eric wants to say, but takes several deep breaths instead before speaking. By the time he’s calm enough, Andy is already talking about something else.

 

“…Daddy, I have to be better in Korean. Are you listening?”

 

“What?” Eric frowns.

 

“I’m on the baby level in Korean class and I don’t want to be on the baby level.”

 

“Do the kids tease you about that too?” Eric asks, already dreading the expected response. Andy’s poor Korean is a reflection of his own failures. He and Yumi really should have spoken it more with Andy…scratch that, he should have, since Andy was quite literally attached to him via baby carrier throughout his toddler years.

 

To his surprise, Andy shakes his head. “No. But I’m really bad at it. And I don’t want to be bad at it.”

 

“Andy…” Eric chooses his words carefully in order to make his son – and himself – feel better about the situation. “It’s…understandable…that you can’t speak good Korean but I promise, you’re going to get better at it in time...”

 

“I know, Daddy, but I don’t want to be on the baby level anymore.” Andy insists.

 

“Why is it so important for you not to be on the baby level? It takes time, bubba, everyone starts there.”

 

His son huffs impatiently, his arms crossed against his chest. “’Cause then I can’t get stamps and stickers from Teacher Amy. She gives prizes to anyone who gets the answer right in Korean class and I always lose. I don’t like losing.” He pouts, tugging at Eric’s fingers. “You have to help me.”

 

“Okay but…” One at a time. One at a time. “Do you need me to speak to the kids and their parents at school? About them teasing you and all that?”

 

“No, Daddy. UGH.” Andy groans at his obvious lack of comprehension. He rolls his eyes theatrically before fixing his father with a glare. “You’re not listening. I just need help learning Korean.”

 

Eric draws in a breath, then releases it slowly. Part of it is in disbelief that what Andy is actually getting worked up over isn’t the same thing as the point he’s trying to make; obviously the bullying aspect of their conversation is nothing more than a distraction for him and getting in the way of a bigger, loftier goal. He’s relieved that Andy really does seem to have no qualms over the other kids teasing him, but he also has to ensure his son knows what to do if it happens again. He reaches over and cups Andy’s face with his palm.

 

“Andrew. We can work on your Korean…but can you promise me that if you ever feel sad or mad or bad because of school or your classmates, you’ll tell me? And right away?”

 

“But I’m not sad now, Daddy…” Andy looks at him, confused. “I like school…but I don’t like Korean class.”

 

“Why?”

 

Andy frowns, looking annoyed at him having to repeat something he’s already said. “’Cause I always lose. ‘Cause I can’t speak it well, and I wanna.”

 

“Even Magnus, and Taylor, and Quinn?” Eric names all of his son’s foreigner classmates. “Dakota, Liam, Micah…they know Korean better than you?” When Andy shakes his head, he continues. “See, you’re not the only one just learning it, right? So that isn’t so bad…”

 

“Daddy.” His son gives him an exasperated look. “They’re white.”

 

This time, Eric has to laugh. Okay, fair point.

 

“Okay, let’s make a deal then. No more secrets about school, ok? You’re already pretty good at telling me when you’re mad or sad, but tell me right away if anyone…and I mean anyone…is being mean to you, all right? You promise?”

 

“Promise, Daddy.”

 

“In return, I’ll teach you to be better in Korean so you can get prizes in class.”

 

“Yes!” Andy raises his hands in the air, grinning. “I’ll be the Korean KING!”

 

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself; Jinnie knows Korean too.” Eric smiles.

 

“We can both be kings.” His son replies, looking thoroughly satisfied. “Can his Daddy teach me Korean too? Jinnie’s Daddy seems good at it.”

 

“Hey, what are you saying? I can speak Korean well enough!” Eric feels a tad insulted at having been compared, and to Hyesung of all people. “You can easily ask Uncle Minwoo or Dongwan too!”

 

“Yeah, but I like how Jinnie’s Daddy speaks.” Andy nods definitively. He taps the book in Eric’s hands as he leans against him, making himself comfortable. “Daddy, could you start reading this now please? I want to know the story.”

 

Well he’s definitely all right if he can boss me around. Eric smiles. “I won’t start until you say I’m the best Korean speaker you know.” He tickles Andy’s sides, reducing the six-year-old to squealing and writhing. “So who’s the best?”

 

“No…Daddy!”

 

“Jinnie’s Daddy or your Daddy?”

 

“DADDY!” Andy laughs, counter-attacking by belly-flopping onto him and knocking the wind out of Eric.

 

“I give up!” Eric’s laughter come in painful gasps as his ribs groan under Andy’s weight. He raises his hands. “Spare me!”

 

“You started it!” His son giggles as they return to their seated positions. The sound of it makes Eric’s spirit soar. “You tickled me first!”

 

Eric clears his throat as he tries to catch his breath. “Okay, okay, I accept.” He kisses the crown of Andy’s head and ruffles his hair, giving him a few more moments to calm down. “I’ll read you this story and I won’t translate it, okay? You can ask me to stop any time, but no more English until we finish. That’ll be the rule.”

 

“What if I don’t understand the word?”

 

“Just ask me and I’ll translate it. But ask me in Korean.”

 

“Hmm. Okay.”

 

“No takebacks…okay?”

 

“Okay!” Andy nods in full confidence, and Eric smiles as he smooths down the covers surrounding them to begin reading to his son.

 

“All right here we go…The Tale of Heungbu and Nolbu…”

 

--

 

Rich Bastard

 

22:48

Talked to Andy already.

P.S. I sent you the pics on my phone

 

22:49

And???

Is he okay?

P.S. off, I need UNEDITED ONES I’m sending it to my parents!

 

22:50

Aren’t you supposed to be doing a show?

P.S. You’re such a potty mouth

 

22:51

If you listen to my show

(and I know you don’t)

you’d know I’m running ads now.

 

22:52

Quit changing the topic.

P.S. Give me the pics!!

 

22:53

He’s perfectly fine.

P.S. Ask nicely

 

22:54

I want to beat you up.

WHAT KIND OF MESSAGE IS THAT?!?

P.S. off. Forget it

 

22:55

What kind were you expecting??

Andy’s fine. He said it’s old news.

 

22:56

So he basically confessed it DID happen

And you’re just letting it go???

Just like that?

 

22:57

He says he’s ok and I trust him.

Talk to Choongjae tomorrow and see what he says.

But I’m pretty sure the boys are fine.

 

22:58

I swear to God if this backfires on us…

I’ll never let you forget it.

 

22:59

Even ONE meeting with the parents?

 

00:00

Do your show, Hyesung. All your texting will give the radio feedback.

 

00:06

Let’s discuss once you’ve talked to Choongjae too.

 

00:13

P.S. I’ve sent you the unedited pictures. Truce.

 

01:35

By any chance, do you know of any traditional markets nearby?

 

01:41

I’m only asking because I’m on shopping duty on Saturday

We can talk then?

 

01:57

Anyway, just a thought. If you’re busy, it’s fine.

 

02:06

…Sure.

 

--

 

Eric stares at his phone screen in the darkness, unable to believe the message he had sent out and the message Hyesung had just sent back in return. In the background, the last song Hyesung put on is still playing.

 

 

I’m still not ready to accept someone else
Since my precious love is gone
I thought that I would never love again
This is for you who will embrace even my wounds

 

 

Panic seizes him and his fingers shake as he tries to type a new message to take his invitation back. He had barely meant it since they had been joking around per usual, and he’d expected Hyesung to reject it as he usually would. Him agreeing to it so readily was not the outcome Eric had envisioned but…at this point does he really want to say Haha, I was kidding, forget I asked about it?

 

(Not really…)

 

His phone chimes again, warm in his palm, before he can even fully commit to his next move.

 

 

Rich Bastard

 

02:08

Market runs are EARLY.

Good though, because I get insomnia after shows.

4AM, Saturday?

I’ll meet you outside the café.

 

02:09

You’d better show, Eric Mun.

 

02:10

P.S. Thank you for the pictures. No truce. :P

 

 

Eric stares at his phone even long after the screen goes dark. No further messages come through, and his own message stays unsent.

 

--

 

I will show you little by little each day
Tomorrow, we will become a bit closer
My current state isn’t enough to love you
So that I can give you all of my heart
Will you wait for me as I get ready?

 

--

 

Saturday at 4AM is pitch-dark and bone-numbingly cold. Eric dresses in three layers of clothing before he steps out of the apartment, leaving Minwoo and Andy still asleep in a messy pile in the master bedroom. It didn’t take much to convince Minwoo to sleep over so he can do the market run, something which he’s actually not done even once, seeing that his main tasks had previously been to ensure their supply of pastries for the next day. Market shopping is a chore Minwoo himself would rather not do, and he was the one who had been on the roster for that week. Eric doing it in his stead and subsequently opening the café would grant him a few more hours to sleep in, a small luxury both of them love to enjoy but can rarely afford. Eric is only glad to exploit his friend’s weakness for it this one time, even though he’s still not sure exactly why he’s doing it.

 

It’s an errand, and we need to talk about the kids anyway, Eric rationalizes as he makes his way down the freezing alley that leads out of the apartment complex and into the main road. Our schedules rarely meet so it’s hitting two birds with one stone. No biggie. No biggie at all…

 

The café is two blocks away and most of the walk he spends debating with himself, pulling the rattling shopping trolley behind him. He’s so absorbed in the internal conversation he’s having that he doesn’t even notice when he’s already reached his destination, and so nearly jumps out of his skin when someone clasps his shoulder. Years of living in New York and the Tenderloin district in San Francisco has trained him to automatically go into self-defense, and he quickly grabs the other person’s wrist, instinctively bracing himself to flip them over. He only screeches to a halt when the stranger yelps in pain behind him.

 

“Whoa, hey! Stop! Eric, ow! OW!”

 

“Christ!” Eric releases Hyesung’s wrist immediately, before turning rapidly around to face the other man. Hyesung is standing under the streetlight with a bewildered and pained look on his face, his hand clutched close to his chest, as though he’s afraid of Eric grabbing it again. “Hyesung, for ’s sake, what are you doing?”

 

“What are you doing?!” Hyesung demands with equal indignation. White clouds billow around his head with each breath. The temperature must be at freezing point but he’s only wearing a dark sweater underneath a padded jacket that he’s left ped, and a small irrational part of Eric’s brain wonders with concern, Isn’t he cold? “What the hell are you so jumpy for?”

 

“Why would you just grab someone like that? I could have seriously hurt you!” Eric says, ignoring how his heart is thundering wildly in his chest. “And I’m not jumpy but…you just don’t grab people, jeez.”

 

“I didn’t grab you. What are you so paranoid about anyway? Have you forgotten you’re in Seoul? Not even a drunk would hurt you at this hour.” Hyesung huffs, rubbing at his wrist before asking in an accusatory tone: “Were you actually going to throw me over your shoulder or something?”

 

“Maybe.” Eric attempts to calm his breathing. “Be glad I didn’t anyway.”

 

“Yaaah.” Hyesung breathes in disbelief, wagging a finger at him. “I would’ve sued you, I swear to God…”

 

“Yeah well…if I’d thrown you, you would’ve deserved it. You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.”

 

“I wasn’t sneaking up on anyone; you just weren’t paying attention. I called you several times but you didn’t seem to hear me. You’d have walked past the café if I hadn’t stopped you.” There’s a hint of amusement on Hyesung’s face. “To be honest…I’m surprised you even showed. I thought you were messing around or you’d forget, being so busy and all.”

 

Damn, Eric silently berates himself. He should have used that excuse. It would have saved him from this ill-planned excursion at the asscrack of dawn with the last person he’d want to spend it with—

 

“Why would I? We’re low on fruits…and things.” Eric finds himself saying instead, avoiding the other man’s gaze. “We have a business to run. The food’s not going to buy itself.”

 

God, I sound like an idiot. .

 

Hyesung nods. “Well, which markets do you usually go to?”

 

“Er…” He should have asked Minwoo. . “I’m…not actually sure.”

 

“Eh?” Hyesung raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean you aren’t sure?”

 

“I mean…” There isn’t a way in which he can escape this conversation without looking like a fool so Eric forces himself to bite the bullet. “I haven’t done it before and that’s why I’d asked you. I liked that market you showed me, so I was wondering if…you’d know any more. That’s all.”

 

To his genuine surprise, this gets him an unanticipated reaction from Hyesung: a wide smile.

 

“You should have said so from the beginning. I know the perfect one!” The excitement in his tone is another thing Eric didn’t expect. “C’mon, let’s go before it gets too crowded.”

 

He turns around and leads the way to the Porsche parked by the sidewalk. Eric stays frozen in his spot, feeling as his stomach does an odd somersault. He wonders if he’ll throw up. He wonders why he’s so horrifically anxious.

 

It’s an errand for God’s sake. Get a grip. You’re not going to be with Hannibal Lecter or anything…

 

“Eric Mun!”

 

Eric blinks and looks up at Hyesung, sees the familiar annoyance back on his face.

 

“Are you coming or not?” Hyesung asks. Impatient. Infuriating. Comforting.

 

Two birds with one stone.

 

“Yeah.” Eric swallows, stamping his anxiety into non-existence. “I’m coming. Sorry. Just…too early and…tired, I guess.”

 

Hyesung laughs, opening the trunk for him to put the trolley in. The sound of his voice echoes among the trees, a bright sound in the surrounding darkness.

 

“Aren’t we all?” he says, and for once, Eric can’t find it in him to disagree.

 

--

 

Hyesung before sunrise takes him by surprise. The other man is infinitely warmer and more charming, the complete opposite of how Eric has known him all along. It doesn’t take long before Eric relaxes in his presence, forgetting he was even uneasy in the first place. Hyesung doesn’t stop talking as they leisurely wind down the quiet, shuttered streets, pointing out landmarks or other fanciful things that Eric had no intention of knowing about but is forced to hear of now.

 

“We’re in Gangnam now and this is the Cheongdamdong area where a lot of rich people live, but they’re all high up in the luxury apartments. How many months did you say that you’ve lived here? Have you been to this area? I would suppose Minwoo would have already taken you…see, look, you can see the 63 Building from here. Isn’t it pretty?”

 

Eric can’t help but glance over at his companion in awe. “I can’t believe you’re this chatty and agreeable at such a godforsaken hour.”

 

“I am usually chatty and agreeable. Just not with you, thank you very much.”

 

“Right, I forgot how you’re such a ball of sunshine.” Eric says, but his tone has a teasing lilt to it. It’s far too early to argue.

 

Hyesung shrugs as they turn a corner, heading down a byway that gives them an unfettered view of the Han. “I usually can’t sleep after a show so I end up driving around. I love Seoul, but I like it so much better when everyone else is asleep.”

 

Eric watches the city speed by in dozens of lit squares and huge swaths of concrete illuminated by moonlight. He can understand and appreciate Hyesung’s affection for it; despite it being the opposite of Berkeley in many ways, Seoul carries its own unique charm, and ends up always surprising him. Much like a lot of its residents…

 

“What time do you even sleep at this rate?” Eric asks, feeling the sudden urge to hear his own voice. He knows Hyesung’s show is until 2AM but his typical workday also starts way before that, which is why he can never pick up Junjin from school. He’s unable to comprehend how Hyesung is still standing.

 

“I go home in time to help get Choongjae up and ready for school. I only sleep once I’ve dropped him off, then I wake up and get to work even before he comes home. We’ve been doing it for years…but when he was much younger and I couldn’t leave him with anyone to be looked after, I brought him to work with me. Afterwards we’d drive around together.”

 

“That late at night?” Eric isn’t sure if he agrees with that practice, but decides not to judge, at least not too loudly; he did manage a home-based baking business with a child strapped to him majority of the time. He still considers it a small miracle that Andy still has all of his toes and fingers intact. “Does he remember any of it?”

 

“Who knows…he was still pretty young…he’d fall asleep in the carseat.” Hyesung sighs softly, a small smile curling his lips upward. The streetlights dance on his face, gold streaks striping across his forehead like lightning. “He was a good baby though, Choongjae. Shoo…she was rarely home, so she couldn’t watch him, but shortly after, Dongwan moved in and we got Mrs. Kim, so I could leave Choongjae behind without having to worry.”

 

“Where would she go…your wife?” Eric asks without much thought. It’s not until after the words escape him that he suddenly remembers Hyesung’s reservations. “I mean…not that it’s any of my business, so…um…you don’t really have to answer…”

 

“Around.” Hyesung replies, his tone neutral, although he doesn’t meet Eric’s gaze. “Shoo was wildly popular in her own right. She would be…going around the city.”

 

Where Eric is from, that can really only mean one thing. “Partying, you mean?” he asks.

 

“Something to that effect.” Hyesung says, and there’s a short uncomfortable pause before he suddenly announces: “Ah! We’re here!”

 

They come to a stop at a large bustling complex nestled somewhere beyond Gangnam’s eastern boundaries. Google Maps tells him they’re at Garak Market, not too far south of the river, and Eric shivers as he steps out of the car; he didn’t know it was possible for it to get even colder.

 

“C’mon, hurry up, it’ll be much warmer inside.” Hyesung says as he takes the trolley out of the trunk. Although Eric fully intends to propel himself towards where the heaters are as soon as humanly possible, he’s shocked to find long fingers quickly encircling his wrist even before he can take a step forward. His astonishment doubles in intensity as Hyesung’s hold on him grows more secure as he’s eagerly tugged towards the fluorescent-lit entrance several feet away.

 

“You’re always so slow, we’re going to end up freezing to death.” Hyesung says, his tone tight with irritation as he leads the way into the market. Eric feels his face flush, but it could just be the sudden burst of warm air on his cheeks as they walk through the main entrance. “Do you have a list?”

 

“What list?” Eric asks, clearing his throat. It’s an effort to unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth. Hyesung rolls his eyes.

 

“Of the things you need to buy, genius. Or have you memorized what they are?”

 

Oh. Of course. Minwoo had written them down for him the night before. Eric fumbles with his phone before he’s able to produce the list from his notes. Hyesung, however, doesn’t wait until it’s shown to him; he snatches the phone away just before Eric can even get to start to read the first item.

 

“Hey!”

 

“We’ll never get anything done at this rate. You’re honestly worse than Dongwan.” Hyesung mutters as he scrolls through, deflecting all of Eric’s attempts to swipe at his phone. “There are hundreds of stalls here and you’d need to strategize a bit if you want to have anything bought quickly, and at a fair price.”

 

“Look, I’m sure I can manage—” Eric says, flustered and mildly annoyed, but Hyesung is hardly listening. Already he’s set off in one direction, pulling the trolley with one hand and motioning for Eric to follow him with the other.

 

“C’mon, Eric Mun!” he calls out, his voice tinged with unspoken laughter, and Eric can feel as his heart thuds noisily in response.

 

--

 

He will never admit it out loud, but Hyesung was right: Garak Market is enormous and not something he would have easily been able to navigate without help. He trails after the other man as Hyesung stops by each stall for the items on the list, while Eric scrutinizes the items on display and chooses what will go into the trolley. Garak Market sells wholesale, and there is an insane amount of food: mountains upon mountains of fresh leafy produce, marbled cuts of meat sold as nearly the full animal, tanks b with glimmering sea creatures that dance as they’re moved from the net to the coolers that will contain them. Eric is amazed and completely enamored.

 

“Taste this!” He offers Hyesung bites of rhubarb, mountain garlic, cilantro, the last item of which is rejected so soundly and venomously that Eric bursts out laughing.

 

“Smell this!” Hyesung shows him pots of wild honey that smell of orange and jasmine, shards of dried strawberries and pineapple, freshly-crushed Szechuan spice mixes that sell by the pound. Garak Market is a culinary haven, and it surprises Eric that Hyesung is familiar with a lot of the sellers they buy from, resulting in a good number of discounts and ‘service’ items.

 

“Are you everybody’s son or something?” Eric stares in awe as they’re given a two additional striploin steaks to their order of meat just because the owner knows Hyesung. He ignores that the owner blatantly tells them, for you two to eat.

 

“I come here a lot. I like markets.” Hyesung shrugs nonchalantly as he chews on a rice cake they were offered for free earlier. The crowd inside the market has been steadily building up, and they have to walk closer together as they go through the aisles, but neither of them seems to mind. “People aren’t pretentious and there’s always good food. And they’re always open when I want to eat after a show. They listen to my show too.” He says the last statement with more than a hint of pride. Eric ignores it and instead gives him a good-natured eyeroll.

 

“Did you used to bring Choongjae here too?”

 

“Sometimes. But most of the time I came here alone.” A small grimace crosses Hyesung’s face. “I’ve told you before. My ex-wife isn’t the type to come to places like these...”

 

“Where would you take her then?”

 

“She likes the trendy restaurants, the fancy ones. I don’t mind those of course, but I don’t feel like dressing up and eating fancy things all the time.” Hyesung sighs as he shakes his head. “With my job you’re always doing pressers or events anyway and it gets tiring. Shoo loves it. I can live without it, but it’s part of what I do so I don’t really have much of a choice.”

 

It’s at that moment that Eric realizes, for some reason, the more he knows about Shoo, the less he wants to continue to know. It feels intrusive and, for some reason, infuriating how Hyesung talks about her and the seemingly eccentric arrangement they’d had. Something about her feels strangely off, and even though he’s still curious enough to know how she and Hyesung had met and gotten along, let alone get married and have a child, he is urged by the desire to change tack. Instead of lengthening the discussion on Shoo further, Eric asks about the one person he knows still has Hyesung’s whole heart.

 

“What about Choongjae?”

 

“Hm? What about Choongjae?”

 

“Does he go with you to the fancy parties?”

 

“Oh, yeah, of course. Choongjae is the easiest kid on earth. You can take him anywhere. Besides, we’ve always brought him along to even the biggest events since it’s never any trouble to feed him anything.” The other man gives a proud grin. “Part of that is due to Shoo, because she kept exposing him to new things, so he likes trying out new food. I’m just sorry now that I haven’t been able to take him out a lot because of work, and his schedule at school.” Hyesung suddenly glances at him, smirking. “But I know he’s always at your café anyway, so thank you for feeding him. Unfortunately, he’s now always asking Mrs. Kim now to try to make some of them and the poor woman has no idea how.”

 

Eric blushes at having been caught and automatically moves his gaze towards his shoes. “How did you—?”

 

“Oh please. Have you heard my son talk? He loves it so much when he’s with Andy that he can never be quiet about it. He even calls me at work to tell me how his day went. I guessed it right away.”

 

“Look, if you really don’t like having Choongjae at the café—"

 

“Relax. I’m not going to punch you again. He’s happy and safe, so it’s fine. But he gets the strangest cravings sometimes…croissants, avocado with pepper, salmon with hollandaise sauce and…spinach? I think was the last one. God, what exactly do you feed my child?” Hyesung asks, but his tone is light. “Yah, couldn’t you feed him Korean meals once in a while? I can’t replicate your dishes at home, you prick.”

 

“Well it isn’t my fault you have such a restricted palate.” Eric snorts.

 

“I do not but do you really expect me or Mrs. Kim to be able to whip up whatever Iron Chef-level meal you cook? You’re out of your mind.”

 

“‘Iron Chef-level’?” Eric’s ears perk up. “Is that an intended compliment or a Freudian slip?”

 

“Shut up…” Hyesung says with obvious disdain before coming to a sudden stop: they’re back at the entrance where they had first come in.

 

“Oh? We’re back here already?” He mutters as he checks Eric’s list one more time on his own phone, having already taken a picture of it. There’s an unmistakable sliver of disappointment as he says, “Huh, it looks like we got them all, so I guess that’s it…”

 

Eric nods. The trolley he’d brought is now full to the brim and is ten times heavier than it had been when they had arrived. They managed to get everything at wholesale price within an hour, leaving them still with more money and time to spare than what he’d expected. Although the trip was immensely productive, Eric can’t help but feel the curlicues of disappointment building in his gut. He follows Hyesung wordlessly as the other man makes his way outside, back into the bitter cold and the pre-dawn darkness…back to where their real lives await.

 

Something stirs inside of Eric. Something like fire and courage and a thin bolt of insanity, perhaps.

 

“Hyesung…” he starts to say, but is interrupted by a loud gasp. He turns and sees Hyesung looking back at him with a wide grin on his face, his arm extended as he points up at the sky.

 

“Eric, look!” Hyesung says, his voice thrumming with unbridled joy. “It’s snowing! The first snow!”

 

Flurries descend upon them as he speaks, illuminated by the large streetlights that line the complex. They swirl around their heads and faces with each breath they take. Snow lands and clings to Eric’s hair and cheeks and eyelashes as he watches with furtive eyes Hyesung smile with his mouth wide open to catch snowflakes on his tongue, his face bright and open as a child’s on Christmas morning. For some reason, he’s no longer as cold.

 

“Breakfast?” He finds himself blurting out, and Hyesung turns to look at him, his cheeks and the tip of his nose already tinged pink.

 

“What?”

 

“Breakfast.” Eric repeats, standing his ground. He his lips, feeling them dry out as he speaks. “Since we haven’t discussed the kids yet. I mean…that’s the main reason we were supposed to meet today, right? The bullying…thing.”

 

He doesn’t know why he can’t shut up but he wishes he could. He doesn’t know why there’s suddenly the irrepressible urge to be in Hyesung’s presence for just a bit longer.

 

“Yeah, sure.” Hyesung says, and Eric blinks in surprise, suddenly freed from his thoughts. “Did you want to grab something here or…?”

 

“Oh well um…” Eric flounders over his words and intentions but somehow manages to pull through. His mouth is still moving despite his mind having completely stalled. “We can talk at the café. I have to put the food away anyway. And it’ll be more comfortable to talk there.”

 

Hyesung narrows his eyes at him. “You’re cooking?”

 

Again, there’s the strange sensation of his heart beating much too rapidly in his chest, and this time it’s hard enough to make his head spin. Eric bites the inside of his mouth before fixing Hyesung with a stare.

 

“I’m not letting you near the café’s stove, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He still hasn’t forgotten the mishap in Hyesung’s own kitchen, and he isn’t up for repeating that at the café. He isn’t too keen about getting murdered by Minwoo.

 

“You wish.” Hyesung says. “But I don’t like American breakfasts, if that’s what you’re planning on making.”

 

“You’ll eat whatever it is or I’m charging you for it.” Eric manages to hide a smirk as Hyesung huffs. They’re already walking back to the car and the Porsche’s trunk has been unlatched. Hyesung helps load up the boxes without being asked.

 

“Whatever it is, it better be good, Eric Mun. I don’t work for free.”

 

“You honestly talk too much.”

 

“I’m just saying.”

 

“I heard you the first time.”

 

“If I end up not liking it, I get your permission to call the other parents together for a PTC and tell them off for their rude- kids and you’re not stopping me.”

 

“Hyesung?”

 

“What?”

 

“Shut up.”

 

Hyesung smirks, brushing fallen snow from his hair. “Never,” he says, sticking out his tongue before clambering into the driver’s seat and tuning in to the first morning radio show.

 

--

 

Meat in the morning is a good choice for when you’re needing the extra energy boost, or when you’re extra hungry. Or really when you’re itching to kill a craving so bad it doesn’t really matter as long as no one is watching. And whoever said you can’t have steak in the morning?

 

Eric snaps on the lights in the café one by one as Hyesung pulls the full trolley in and places the boxes on the bar. The café comes alive as it becomes awash in bright white, revealing spotless floors and counters and the lush green of the various plants that they’ve placed in the nooks and crannies of the space. Warm air quickly fills it as Eric powers on the heaters.

 

“Yaaah, it feels weird to be here as the first customer. I didn’t realize this place was so big.” Hyesung walks around the café, his voice bouncing against the walls. “What time do the rest of your staff come in?”

 

Cook the rice in advance of the meat so that by the time your meat is done, your rice will also be ready. Use a rice cooker so you don’t have to struggle with the cooking process.

 

“6AM. We open at 7AM on weekdays but 8AM on weekends so they’ll be here later than usual.” Eric places all their groceries into the storage area after having retrieved a few key items from it. Being in familiar territory relaxes him and puts him in his element. He checks on Hyesung one more time before he begins cooking in earnest and finds him still looking at the space and studying the various art on the walls. “You can sit down you know. I’ll have something ready in a few minutes.”

 

Hyesung shakes his head as he glances around. He has his hands tucked behind his back. “I can help you in the kitchen if you want…?” he offers.

 

“It’s fine.” Eric says, stamping down his desire to say yes, sure. “It’ll be safer and more efficient to keep you out here.”

 

“Fine. But don’t say I didn’t offer.”

 

“Just make yourself at home.” Eric has finished tying on his apron and is heading back towards the kitchen. “You eat meat, right?”

 

“Meat for breakfast? Hell yes.” Hyesung sounds pleased. He’s already settled in Andy and Junjin’s usual seat, his head leaning back against the booth as he sighs.

 

“Ok good.” Eric says, and opens the window in the kitchen that looks out to the café area.

 

Beef striploin works best for this. You can thank the market ahjumma for giving you the extra cuts. Season both sides of the steaks with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.

 

“You know, I did talk to Choongjae?” Hyesung calls out, a disembodied voice in the open space. His voice floats easily into the kitchen. It feels like a warm hand on the back of Eric’s neck. He shudders involuntarily.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“He treated it like it was nothing.”

 

Slice ¼ of a white onion into thin strips. Mix soy sauce, water, mirin, and sugar in a bowl. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. While you do that, heat up a cast iron pan on the stove.

 

“So did Andy.” Eric tells Hyesung without taking his eye off of the soy sauce mixture. It feels more natural talking to Hyesung like this since his attention is divided. He also feels less guarded and defensive. “I wasn’t sure how to feel to be honest.”

 

“So…we just leave it at that? Do you…do you think we should take them to a therapist or something?”

 

Place the steaks on the pan. Sear them for 3-4 minutes on each side. When they’re just about done, put in a tablespoon of butter for each steak, and a handful of smashed garlic. Baste those bad boys with the butter mixture. Remove the steaks from the pan and turn off the heat. Set the steaks aside to let them rest.

 

Eric frowns. “A therapist? For what?”

 

“I mean, are we sure they’re okay? For all we know they could just be telling us that so we don’t worry…”

 

Mix the soy sauce mixture and sliced onions into the pan and stir. When it boils, give it half a minute more before straining it to separate the garlic and onions. Cut each steak into thin slices and arrange them over rice placed in a bowl. Drizzle with sauce. Place spring onions on top. Serve right away.

 

“Andy has other problems now that’s nothing to do with bullying.” Eric says as he carries two bowls of steak donburi out of the kitchen and into the café. He places one in front of Hyesung, who gives an impressed whistle. “Apparently him being bullied is yesterday’s news.”

 

“When you said you’d cook meat, I wasn’t expecting—wait, what do you mean yesterday’s news?” Hyesung frowns at him. He graciously accepts as Eric hands him a pair of chopsticks and a spoon.

 

“He’s really over it, I guess.” Eric shrugs and places a tube of wasabi on the table. “Try the meat with a bit of this. It’s good.”

 

Hyesung obeys him without second thought, squeezing a huge lump of pale green wasabi onto the side of his bowl.

 

“Andy said Choongjae stood up for him a lot, so he didn’t really have a hard time. His only problem now is that he’s falling behind in Korean, so he’s asking me to tutor him. That’s what we’re going to be concentrating on from now until he says stop.”

 

“Yahhh.” Hyesung is already digging into his breakfast, inhaling the pieces of steak as though they’re made of air. “Our kids really are made of tougher stuff huh? Do you know how much I’ve been worried for them? I’ve been losing sleep because of what their teacher told us, and there they are, happy as clams, without even a care in the world.”

 

“It wasn’t Choongjae being bullied.” Eric points out as he glances up. “Why would you lose sleep?”

 

As though on cue, fierce pink spots bloom on Hyesung’s cheeks and he coughs violently. Eric stands and gets him a glass of water. “You okay?” he asks, mildly concerned.

 

“Wasabi.” Hyesung croaks. He gulps down water before adding, “Andy is a sweet kid and my son’s friend. And…he’s already gone through enough tough things this year.” He gives Eric a quick glance as though to gauge his reaction, but averts his gaze just as quickly. “Of course I’d worry.”

 

Eric is touched by his statement, although he refrains from showing it.

 

“You can ask, you know,” he says, already knowing that this is a conversation he’d have to have at some point, and if he has to start it’s better to do it with people whom he doesn’t have to explain a lot to…even if it’s Hyesung. “How my wife…you know. What happened…if you want.”

 

He feels the familiar twinge of the thorn in his chest that always materializes whenever he remembers Yumi. It twists and writhes and aches something fierce, but the pain is dulled somehow this time, and the pulsing void that reminds him of her absence and always threatens to overwhelm him is kept at bay.

 

“I don’t need to know.” Hyesung’s voice is soft and his attention is now on his bowl. “I already know how hard it is to lose…someone you care deeply about. I’m not going to make anyone else relive that pain if I can help it.” Eric watches as he picks at his rice. “Our kids don’t deserve to be teased just because they no longer have moms or because they can’t speak a certain language. If you hadn’t stopped me, I really would have raised hell in that classroom. They’d have needed a lawyer, stat.”

 

“Choongjae and Andy have each other.” Eric says with a wry smile. “I think that’s the most either of us can ask for since we can’t always be there with them. Besides Andy already promised me he’d tell me from now on if something happens at school again.”

 

Hyesung groans. “Man, can’t you be the worrywart dad for once? You always make me sound like such a loser!”

 

“What?”

 

“I’m the only one who’s worried to death and you always get to play good cop.” Hyesung shoves the last of his rice into his mouth, chewing agitatedly. He frowns at Eric. “We have to at least take turns looking pathetic. I can’t be the only dumb parent who’s head-over-heels in love with their kid they can’t even see straight.”

 

“Parenting’s a crap shoot; no one knows what they’re doing.” Eric scoffs. “Anyway, you already said it: the kids are made of tougher stuff. We can’t protect them forever. Sooner or later they’ll have to learn to really stick up for themselves and we’d have to step back and let them fight their own…” He peers at the other man, who’s suspiciously hung his head as though trying to hide his face. “Yah. Shin Hyesung. Are you crying?!”

 

At the accusation, Hyesung lifts his head, revealing a reddened face wet with moisture. Eric looks at him in alarm until he realizes the other man isn’t crying at all…at least not out of sadness. 

 

“It’s the wasabi! , I put too much! Ugh!” Hyesung moans irritably, accompanied by a wet sniffle. He growls at Eric, enraged, as he bursts into snorting laughter. “Shut the up!”

 

“I said ‘a bit’, Jesus Christ!” Eric reaches for Hyesung’s bowl and confirms his suspicions: the noticeably large lump of wasabi that had been in it is now gone. “Why did you eat it?”

 

“I didn’t mean to, you ! It just got mixed in with the rice and…oh my God.” Hyesung is fanning himself with his hand, his tongue sticking out in a delicate manner. His face is getting redder by the second…

 

(Cute, Eric thinks to himself, so soft he wonders if he even thinks it at all.)

 

“UGH!” Hyesung groans, stamping his feet against the tile, but Eric is still much too amused to take pity on him.

 

He teases: “The problem is you practically the bowl clean.”

 

“You know…” Hyesung in air, “after my mouth stops burning and my sinuses stop melting, I really will kill you.”

 

“Do you want ice? Or tissues?” Eric smiles without bothering to move an inch. He rests his chin on his hands. “Choose one only.”

 

“Eric!”

 

“The snow outside is free too—”

 

“ off!”

 

This time, Eric laughs so hard that the thorn in his chest shakes loose and falls, its disappearance nearly unnoticed until warm, but unfamiliar, affection takes its place, surging through his blood like new electricity.

 

 

(…Oh?)

 

 

The warmth spreads as Hyesung gets to his feet and paces the floor in an attempt to wait out the pain, as he swears at Eric repeatedly and colorfully, especially when he whips his phone out, and then demands that Eric bring him an entire paper towel roll to wipe his face with before threatening permanent damage to (1) his fingers, (2) his phone, and (3) the nearest espresso machine. Eric finally concedes to his request and hands him one of Minwoo’s clean towels from behind the bar. When their fingers ghost against each other in happenstance, the base of Eric’s spine tingles, the epicenter of a quake where the tremors convene in his chest where his heart is, and he straightens, shocked.

 

 

(Oh.)

 

 

“Oh?” Hyesung says, unaffected, as he accepts the towel and waves it in front of Eric’s face. “This had better be clean, Eric Mun…”

 

Hyesung’s phone rings as he freshens up, loud and to the tune of Banana Cha-Cha! Eric watches, frozen in the shadow of his realization as his heart pounds what he feels is impossibly loud, as Hyesung picks up the call and places it on speaker while motioning for him to be quiet. A child’s voice, drowsy with sleep, suddenly fills the empty air.

 

“Appa. I woke up and went to your room but you weren’t there.”

 

“Oh hi, my baby,” Hyesung smiles at the phone as he finishes up wiping his face. “I’m sorry. Appa’s still out. Why don’t you go back to bed first?”

 

“I wanna, but I wanna sleep with you.” Junjin says, his tone imploring. “Are you gonna be long?”

 

“Not too long. I just…” Hyesung glances at Eric, as though deliberating on an excuse, but turns back around before Eric can even react, “went out to eat that’s all.”

 

“Did you go to the market?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Did you drive on the bridges?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Appa, let’s have dino pancakes later, ok? I want pancakes.”

 

“Yes, sure.” The smile hasn’t left Hyesung’s face. “It’s still too early, Choongjae, so why don’t you go to samcheon first and wait for me there with him? You don’t like falling asleep alone, right? I’ll be home soon.”

 

“But he SNORES!” Junjin whines. “And he likes to hug and it gets too hot.”

 

“Or you can wait for me in your room.”

 

“…I’ll go to samcheon. But hurry, Appa, okay? I’ll wait.”

 

“Okay. Love you.”

 

“Love you too, drive safe, see you soon, bye!”

 

Hyesung ends the call after the barrage of kissing noises ends and he straightens, looking at Eric. Although he still looks slightly damp, his coloring no longer resembles an overripe tomato despite the lingering flush in his cheeks. Within his ribcage, Eric can feel his heart skip a beat. The illusion of them having borrowed time has shattered; real life can wait no longer.

 

“Duty calls.” Hyesung says. “I have to go.”

 

Eric nods, untangling his tongue from his teeth. “S-sure. You’re ok now, right?”

 

“No thanks to you.” The other man smirks, but with no real anger. “I’ll buy the meal next time. You’d better be ready.”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Eric watches as Hyesung gathers his things: jacket, keys, phone. When Hyesung lifts his used bowl and glass, Eric lunges for them and sets them aside, placing them on the countertop. “I’ll do the cleanup. Don’t worry about it. You shouldn’t…er…let Choongjae wait too long.”

 

Hyesung seems to hesitate, but then nods in agreement. “You’re right. I didn’t even realize what time it is…it’s almost 6!” He blinks at his watch in disbelief. “He usually comes into my room and goes back to sleep…I guess he was surprised that I wasn’t there.”

 

“Yeah, so you should…go.” Eric s his hands deep in his back pockets, not trusting them to make any gestures that can be misconstrued. He gives what he hopes is a convincingly genuine smile despite the growing tension in the pit of his stomach. “Choongjae’s waiting…and he rarely sees you as it is.”

 

“Yeah I should…I should…and I should get out of your way so you can…start opening the café or getting ready or something.” An odd atmosphere settles over them, and Hyesung stands there for an awkward moment before saying: “Thank you for breakfast.”  

 

“Sure.” Eric’s can feel his ears turn red. “Thanks for…er…all the help at the market.”

 

“I won’t forget this wasabi incident so…wait for it. Hopefully it won’t involve another Parent-Teacher Conference. Or maybe it will. Who knows.”

 

It’s their typical banter, but this time, Eric is no longer in any mood to repartee. He nods instead, which seems to satisfy Hyesung. He gives a final wave as he shrugs on his jacket. He still leaves it ped; Eric resists from reaching out to zip it up himself.

 

“All right, see you then, Eric Mun.”

 

There’s another odd moment when Hyesung pauses in front of him on his way out the door, as though unsure of what to do, but Eric quickly nods and steps to the side, offering him more than enough room so he can pass.

 

“Thanks.” Hyesung murmurs, the corner of his lips quirked up into a small smile. A beat, and then the tinkling of the wind chime as he pulls the door open, accompanied by a frigid burst of air. Eric watches as Hyesung steps into the darkness and walks out of his line of sight without looking back, fading into the cold and snow. His departure leaves Eric in a warm, filled silence, one which makes the rapid beating of his heart all the more painfully obvious.

 

Oh….

 

 

 

tbc

 

 

 

Author's Notes
1. APOLOGIES for taking so long with this chapter. I actually already had a draft as early as April but I wasn't in the right mood. I still am not, to be honest, but I thought I should at least get this one out. It's difficult to keep myself in a creative headspace during these times. Everything is difficult. I'm sure you all know. I hope everyone is well.
2. The song Hyesung played is Day by Day by As One.
3. I've seen all your comments and am very grateful to all of them. Again, I'm sorry I can't update as fast as I used to. I'd rather not publish for the sake of publishing; I still want to give you guys quality work, so thank you for all your patience!
4. This chapter is all over the place. _I_ am all over the place. (>_<) Ricsyung are still taking their sweet time with everything. At this point I'm just going to let them. 
5. Please stay safe! Wear a mask! We'll get through this eventually. :)