Week Two - March 22, 2021
 

It was six-thirty in the morning and Minho was already showered and dressed for the day. It was another restless night. He counted the hours of sleep he managed to get which was about three. Despite his body feeling tired, his mind was anything but. Everyone else was still asleep, so he decided to lay on the couch and stare at the ceiling in silence. It was funny to him how peaceful it was when he was captured in North Korea but at home it wasn’t. His eyes glanced over by the wall clock nearby. It was only fifteen minutes until seven and he felt restless. When he looked back up at the ceiling he remembered how he would be laying in that prison cell. His mind constantly wondered what day it was or time. But most importantly, when he’d be able to come back home…

There was a faint sound coming from nearby and upstairs that suddenly made him sit upright. He followed the small coo-coo sounds of the wall clock that signified it was the new hour. It was now seven in the morning. How he managed to sleep for fifteen minutes was beyond him. The sound from upstairs was muffled but loud enough to have traveled all the way down to Minho for him to finally recognize that it was Taemin’s alarm. 

As he heard the alarm finally turn off, Minho felt his heart hammering in his chest. Despite hearing Taemin’s various phone alarms and being accustomed to them in the past, he reacted as though it had been a threat. He could hear from upstairs a bedroom door open and Sohee’s soft voice waking up Haneul. Another door closed for a few moments and he heard Taemin peeing. 

Everything else became a blur until he found himself sitting at the table again for breakfast. He sat quietly with his elbows resting on the table, his chin resting in the palm of his hand while staring at the wood grain of the table. On the outside, it looked as though he was in deep thought, but the reality was he was trying to feel or be somewhat composed. Despite hearing Haneul’s cartoons playing on the TV nearby along with Sohee and Taemin speaking, it only went in one ear and out the other. 

"What time do you get home tonight, noona?” 

"Well, I’m hoping that if Ahnjong doesn’t call off again, I should be home early. How come?” 

"I was thinking of meeting up with my study group after class today…”

Minho could feel his jaw clench as the fight to simply sit quietly was being lost. He finally glanced up at the two of them as they spoke. 

"Well, if anything happens at work today, I’ll text you to let you know, ne?” 

"Gomawo, Sohee-noona. If not, don’t worry about it. I’ll be home in time to pick up Haneul from school.”

Minho glanced over to Haneul, who had been quiet this whole time being fixated by cartoons rather than eating. The small boy was wearing a black long sleeve shirt with his white short sleeve over it. On the front was a childish smiley face. He knew that Sohee had done his hair as a little “pineapple” when the top had grown too long. It was just added to the list of everything that was irritating him at that very moment. He finally dropped his hand from his chin before he spoke.

“Haneul-ah.” 

The big eyes of which the young child inherited, looked up at his father quietly, showing that he was paying attention. Both Sohee and Taemin suddenly became quiet and watched the exchange.

“Do you want appa to pick you up from school today?” Minho asked. 

With a smile, the boy nodded his head. The frustration that had bottled up inside of him had lightly ceased. Minho gently pushed the bowl of cereal closer to Haneul to entice him. 

“Good. If you eat the rest, we’ll do something fun today.” Minho said and even added a small wink to the promise. 

If Haneul’s eyes weren’t already big enough, they went even wider at the thought of doing something fun with his father after school. Minho leaned back in his chair as the boy ate and he looked over to Sohee and Taemin. They both were quiet and smiled back at him awkwardly. Minho said nothing as he got up and picked up his own bowl of cereal to toss. 

"Oppa, you didn’t even eat.” Sohee finally said out loud to him. Taemin felt the pain in his chest as his brother seemed to outright ignore her. They both watched him dump the contents in the garbage and place the bowl in the sink.

“I’m not hungry,” Minho answered coldly as he walked past the both of them and headed to the foyer. 

The awkward clangs of dishes were heard along with Sohee instructing Haneul to wash his hands and get ready for school. Minho was already reaching into the closet by the front door and searched for one of his coats. Though it wasn’t surprising, he realized that the coats he had left before going into the army were still there, untouched. It should have been comforting but for whatever reason, to Minho, it wasn’t. He pulled the dark brown corduroy with sherpa lining and put it on. 

The patter of feet came by the foyer. He turned quickly to see Haneul take off his house slippers and began putting on his regular shoes. The young boy shoved his small feet into the equally small shoes but then came the tricky part: tying the laces. Minho watched in silence, feeling amused suddenly as he wondered what Haneul would do. The boy had stared at his feet for a brief moment and then looked up at Minho. 

“Appa, can you help me?” He asked innocently. 

It would have been a lie to say that Minho wasn’t dying for the opportunity. He gave a quick nod and knelt down in front of his son. 

"No one has shown you to tie your shoes?” Minho asked as he grabbed the laces on the one shoe and began tying them. It irked him a little to know that a five year old didn’t know how to tie his own shoes and it made him start to wonder what anyone had been teaching or not teaching his son. Minho looked up and searched the boy’s face and when Haneul didn’t answer, it only confirmed the latter. 

"Okay, appa is going to teach you. Make sure you watch,” Minho instructed and the boy nodded his affirmation. 

Very slowly, Minho showed Haneul the steps of shoe tying and said it’ll take a lot of practice. He finished it off by double tying the laces so that when Haneul went to recess his shoes couldn’t come undone. He stood up to watch Haneul admire the work as he tapped his shoes on the floor. 

Taemin appeared around the corner to switch his shoes but almost seemed startled to find Minho standing not too far away. The two brothers exchanged looks but were cut off as Haneul stood up to face Taemin. 

"Samchon! Look! Appa tied my shoes!” He said excitedly. 

Taemin glanced down briefly and raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Waa! They look great, Haneul-ah!” 

Minho watched Taemin go to the closet to find his own coat to put on quickly and reached back in to find the small child’s coat. 

"Ja! Ppallippalli! Or else you’ll be late to school!” Taemin insisted while holding out Haneul’s coat to put on. Of course, the child wasted no time in managing to get his small arms into the coat because no one wants to be late to school. 

Minho stuffed his hands into the pockets and furrowed his brows at the exchange going on. When his brother looked back at him, Minho finally spoke. “Taemin, I’m taking Haneul to school.” 

Taemin was taken aback and in all honesty, speechless. He had always taken Haneul to school every morning before he went to class so he didn’t understand what would have been different this time. Minho continued to stare at Taemin, almost as if he were angry. Taemin was about to say something until Sohee had appeared with Haneul’s small backpack. Her eyes darted between the both of them and she knew that something prior had been going on. 

"Are … you two okay?” She asked slowly, still looking between her husband and Taemin. 

Minho only looked at Sohee once and then to Taemin, who shot a quick look at Minho before nervously looking back at Sohee. 

"Yeah, we’re fine.” Minho finally answered and reached for Haneul’s backpack to which Sohee was caught by surprise. If she thought that he hadn’t noticed, he did. It was just another thing added on to his mental list of occurrences that he had noticed since he’d been back. Minho turned for the front door to open for Haneul and the boy scampered out to start the walk to school. Minho didn’t wait for anyone to follow him and he wasn’t surprised to hear the quick footsteps of Taemin following close behind. 

"Yah! Hyung!” Taemin called for him as he caught up. “Do you even know where you’re going?” 

Minho shot him a look and Taemin bit his lip. He knew that speaking to Minho like that, whether or not he was in the army, wasn’t really a wise choice of words. If one thing was for sure, it was that Minho hated when he was being doubted. 

He looked at Taemin for a few more seconds and then turned his attention to Haneul who was playfully walking in zig-zags. “Ne, I know where I’m going. Do you know where you’re going?” Minho shot back subtly. 

Taemin didn’t like his brother’s response but decided not to acknowledge it. He looked ahead of Haneul as the sidewalk would be ending soon for them to turn the corner. Taemin knew he had to say something, so he forced a chuckle and pushed back his parted bangs from his face. 

"It’s just that I usually take Haneul to school, hyung. I wasn’t expecting you to come along.” Taemin admitted nervously but he was being honest. With this being the second week of Minho being back, it was quickly learned that in order to talk to his brother, one had to be walking on eggshells. You had to be careful about what you said and what it was that you said. As Sohee put it, Minho was like a ticking time bomb, and he could change just by the drop of a hat. 

Taemin looked up as he heard Minho scoff slightly. 

"And why wouldn’t you be expecting me to take my son to school?” Minho asked, glancing over at his brother and for a brief moment, they exchanged glances. Taemin swallowed nervously, unsure of how he could even answer his brother. He wasn’t sure why Minho was taking this the wrong way or as a personal attack. 

Minho didn’t waste time listening to Taemin’s answer when he realized that Haneul was a decent distance away from them. 

"Haneul-ah, don’t wander off. Come, take appa’s hand.” Minho warned as they closed the space between them and he reached his hand out to the small boy. Haneul quietly took Minho’s hand as they were getting closer to the school. 

Taemin gave a side glance at Haneul holding Minho’s hand. In the days that Taemin would take his nephew to school, the young boy never once left his sight or even thought of wandering off. He wondered if Haneul was starting to feel what he and Sohee were feeling towards Minho. 

To Taemin’s amazement, Minho did actually remember where Haneul’s school was. Minho glanced around at the many parents who were dropping their children off and already the kids were getting ready to start the day. They reached the gates and Minho helped Haneul put his backpack on. He knelt down in front of the young boy to straighten out his coat to look more presentable for school. 

"Do well today in class and remember that I’ll be getting you after school, arasso?” Minho asked while explaining. Taemin awkwardly stayed off to the side from the two of them. 

"Ne, appa!” 

For once, Minho actually smiled, but it looked almost painful. He held his arms out for a hug and Haneul complied. The two of them embraced each other for a while, and Taemin smiled a little at the sight. 

"Samchon!” Haneul said in an excited voice. When he pulled away from Minho, he made sure to hug his uncle too. Taemin’s smile grew bigger as he accepted the hug from his nephew before one of his teachers had come by to round up Haneul and the other children being dropped off. 

When he glanced over at Minho, he was already standing up, hands stuffed in his pockets again. As the amount of children being dropped became less and less, Taemin walked over to his brother. The silence between them was awkward but he figured he might as well tell him he was going to head off to class…

"You didn’t answer the question.” Minho said casually. Again, Taemin was caught off guard by his abrupt behavior. He tilted his head in confusion, what question could Minho possibly be talking about? 

Minho finally broke his stoic stare from the school to look at Taemin. He could tell that he was confused and so he said, “Remember? Why wouldn’t you expect me to take Haneul to school?” 

Taemin bit his bottom lip. He rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans and simply shrugged before answering. “I… I don’t know, hyung. I thought maybe you would rather stay at home.” It was the honest truth, and whether Minho knew it or not, Taemin would never know. 

*   *   *   

When Minho returned home, he found it to be empty. It was eerily quiet and it made him anxious. He suddenly felt flushed for no reason that he could find. He hurriedly went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and as he did, he saw the note taped on the fridge. He took his water quickly so he could read the note on the other side of the door. 

I'm sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye before you left. I hope that you have a good day today, oppa! Please, try to rest today if you can, I know you haven’t been sleeping much. I’ll see you later on tonight! Saranghaeyo! -Sohee.

After reading the note, Minho left the paper on the fridge. He took a long sip of his water in hopes that the cold would ease the anxiousness he felt. He thought about what could keep him busy. Quietly, he went to the living room and sat on the couch. He did think about Sohee’s note about sleeping but then he decided against it. If he thought about it, he’d only had about maybe ten hours of sleep in the last seven days. Minho knew his body was dying to get rest but his mind wouldn’t allow him. 

He sighed in frustration and reached for the remote. Since sleep was out of the question, he supposed watching whatever he could on TV would help. The channel was still on for children so Minho decided to channel surf. Pretty much anything that was on didn’t really spark any interest in him. It was irritating to him that the last five channels he told himself that whatever it was, he would just leave it on. It ended up being a nature channel. 

He leaned back on the couch and looked towards one of the windows that faced the backyard. Already Minho felt restless but he didn’t know why. He found the clock on the wall again and it was only 8:45 in the morning. Out of habit he stared at the ceiling again and almost found it ironic: when he was held captive, he craved the concept of time. It was a constant feeling of endlessness and wonder of when he’d ever be rescued. Now that Minho was back home, the concept of time became something he loathed. 

Minho was startled out of his spiraling thoughts when he heard his phone go off and felt the light buzz against his thigh. He sat up to fish out his phone from his pocket and read the notification that displayed across the screen. It was a text message from a good friend, Kim Kibum, or otherwise known as Key. Using his thumb to unlock his phone, he read the message that was sent: 

"Annyeong~ Minho! Or should I say fellow Marine Corps. Choi Minho-ssi? I’m hoping that you’re doing well now that you’re back home. If you’re up for it, we can meet up and get together. Let me know what you think!” 

Minho felt conflicted. He wouldn’t mind meeting up with Key but he wasn’t sure if he should. If he had to be honest, he didn’t feel like seeing anyone, but he also didn’t want to be rude. Then again, Key never mentioned when to meet up. Minho turned his screen off his phone and placed it on the coffee table. 

As fast as Key’s text had come through, it easily left him. He glanced up at the TV, already forgetting that he had turned it on in the first place. Minho wasn’t even aware of what he was watching until the screen panned to a diver in the ocean. The diver wasn’t doing much other than holding a camera to capture the marine life. 

The moment Minho realized that everything was underwater, he started to panic. Instantly the flashback to when he was captured in the North Korean compound flooded his mind. One of the favorite torture tactics of North Korean officers was drowning their captives. There were too many times for Minho to count where he thought he was going to die by their hands. The countless times they stuck his head in a barrel of water only to hold him there for what seemed like hours. 

It felt all too real to him. He had to get away. He felt sick. 

Minho shot up to his feet and almost tripped over himself to run to the bathroom. The bathroom was around the corner of the living room and the moment he reached it, he flicked on the lights and went straight for the toilet. The only thing he could regurgitate was nothing but water. Even when he dry heaved, there wasn’t anything left within him for his body to expel. 

Minho reached for the handle of the toilet to flush. His heart was hammering in his chest that he could hear it. Beads of sweat had collected above his naturally thick eyebrows all the while trying to catch his breath. When he stood up fully, he felt dizzy and weak. He backed into the bathroom wall and let himself slide down so that he was sitting. 

At that moment, he felt exhausted. His shoulders and knees ached and he couldn’t stop shaking. On top of being exhausted, he still felt anxious which turned into frustration. Minho gritted his teeth while closing his eyes and banged the back of his head against the wall. It felt like nothing so he did it again, and three more times until the pain from the back of his head traveled to the front like a migraine. 

As he sat there on the bathroom floor, with his head pounding, he finally gave in to his body. Minho leaned his back against the wall and let the sleep he had deprived of himself finally consume him. 

  *   *   *

Taemin liked starting classes early because that usually meant going home early. Today just happened to be one of those days so his classmates decided to meet up earlier than what was planned. In their group text they agreed to go to the coffee shop that was near campus. Taemin wasn’t that far from the shop so walking there only took about fifteen minutes. He figured he could order something before everyone else showed up. 

When Taemin did arrive, he did just that. He ordered an iced coffee with extra espresso so he could have the energy to study. He paid for his drink and walked about the chatty shop, filled with other students. Taemin scanned around to find a suitable booth for him and his classmates to sit at but low and behold, he didn’t have to look very far when he spotted his classmate, Lee Jinki.

It was amusing to Taemin that Jinki was there before anyone else, but he understood. The man was desperate to graduate and was going to take whatever it took to do so. Taemin sauntered over as quietly as he could before slamming his own books on the table. 

"Yah! Watch it, will you?” Jinki warned with a frown. It only made Taemin chuckle because he knew the other male wasn’t going to do anything. 

"Ne, ne, mian.” Taemin said while snickering and taking his seat across from him. Jinki only rolled his eyes at the half assed apology. Taemin took a sip of his coffee and almost choked when he realized how far ahead Jinki was in their anatomy lesson.

"Yah! And you can’t wait for the rest of us to catch up?” 

Jinki lifted his eyes from the book and now it was his turn to smirk. “If I waited for any of you guys to catch up I probably would lose brain cells.”

"Pfft. As if you haven’t already.” Taemin playfully shot back. 

The both of them had become good friends since Taemin started at the university four years ago. It was a shame that Taemin hadn’t known Jinki sooner in life. 

Jinki leaned back in the booth and decided he could take a break before the others arrived… wherever they were. 

"How’s your brother been? I remember you said last week was a pretty big crap show.” Jinki asked casually, but he really was concerned. Taemin sighed heavily that made his bangs flip up.

"A crap show? I meant to say a show,” Taemin chuckled while he flipped through the pages of the textbook. “One moment he’ll be fine, the next he’s ready to take me down, and then after that he’s just distant. I really can’t figure him out.” 

Jinki nodded his head quietly as he listened. Out of all the friends that Taemin had made, Jinki was the only one that he felt comfortable sharing details of his life with. Trust never had been a strong suit for Taemin, so when he learned that he could literally tell Jinki anything without being judged or brushed off, he really became an open book. 

"Well, have you guys asked him what’s bothering him? Maybe it had something to do with him being captured for six months. I could only imagine the toll it could’ve taken on him.” Jinki explained while reaching into his book bag to grab his eyeglass case. Taemin looked off to the side and shook his head. 

"No, we haven’t asked him. We pretty much are afraid to ask him or talk to him about anything without setting him off.” Taemin admitted. 

Jinki was about to say something when they both heard Taemin’s cell phone go off. They both looked at each other in confusion while Taemin reached in his back jean pocket to find his phone. 

“Oh, it’s Sohee.” 

Jinki raised his eyebrows at his friend the moment he realized that something wasn’t exactly right. Taemin’s face had a look of concern especially when he looked to see what the time was. 

"Is it really two-thirty?” 

Jinki raised his wrist to look at his watch to double check. “Ne, it is. Why?” 

Taemin’s eyes almost bugged out of his skull. He stood up quickly and grabbed his things only to shove them into his bag. 

"Taemin, what is it? What’s wrong?” 

Taemin could feel his heart racing in his chest that when he looked up at Jinki, everything came out almost in a word jumble. “I-I have to go… I don’t know what’s going on. My brother never showed up to pick up Haneul. I’m really sorry, Jinki. I’ll meet up with you guys next time.” 

There wasn’t even time for the other male to respond, Taemin literally was in and out of the coffee shop in seconds. He was practically running out the doors and down the street to the nearest bus stop that would literally get him to Haneul’s school in about ten minutes and then from there would be another ten if he ran home fast enough. What else was said in Sohee’s text was what worried him the most: 

"Taemin-ah, I’m worried about Minho. Haneul’s school keeps calling me and I haven't had the chance to call back. My boss let me off early to go to see if he’s alright. Taemin, please check on Minho before I get home. Please make sure he’s okay.” 

The worst scenarios kept playing in his mind and as much as he tried to not think about them, they kept sneaking into his mind anyway. He texted Sohee back to let her know he was on his way home. He kept hoping, silently praying to himself that nothing had happened to his brother. He hoped nothing happened to Haneul. Taemin had never wanted to get off a bus as fast as he had at that moment. By the time the bus reached the stop that Taemin had been wanting to get off, he practically almost tossed himself off the steps. 

The adrenaline kicked in even more once he stepped off the bus and realized how much closer he was to home. He ran down the familiar sidewalk to get back home, literally putting all his stamina into his sprint. From the outside, Taemin looked as if someone was chasing him wanting to kill him. He did cause some heads to turn but he didn’t care, he needed to get home. When he rounded the corner it wasn’t much longer for him to make it to the house. He reached for his house keys once he got to the front door, fumbling for them before jamming the key into the tumbler. 

In seconds Taemin was in the house. He didn’t even bother slipping his shoes off but he tossed his book bag to the floor. He was startled at the sound of the TV and it took a moment to realize where the voice was coming from. He looked around the living room but didn’t see Minho anywhere. 

"Hyung?” Taemin called out, hoping that he was still in the house. He went to the kitchen but nothing. He went back to the living room again and Taemin noticed Minho’s phone still on the coffee table. He reached for it and the screen lit up with constant text messages and missed phone calls from Sohee. His heart was sinking as his mind kept racing that perhaps his suspicions were true. Taemin looked around again and saw a light from around the corner of the living room he must’ve missed in his frantic search for his brother. He stuffed Minho’s phone into the back pocket of his jeans and went to the light, realizing that it was the bathroom. 

When Taemin rounded the corner he wasn’t sure what he was going to expect but once he saw Minho, he gasped. Immediately, he couldn’t help but think that his brother was dead. He dropped to his knees and started to shake Minho awake, or hoping that he would. 

"Hyung! Hyung, wake up!” Taemin pleaded, his mind kept telling him that Minho would wake up. He kept shaking him hard enough until Minho’s eyes shot open. Taemin was immediately relieved to see that Minho wasn’t dead. The oldest of the two was obviously in a deep sleep and his naturally round eyes were a little swollen from having fully slept as long as he did. He looked around, confused as to how he even got to the floor of the bathroom. 

"Hyung, are you okay?” Taemin asked gently. He could see how out of sorts Minho was, especially when he looked at Taemin as if he had grown two more heads from his neck. It was as if Minho couldn’t even speak but when he moved just to lift his head, he flinched at the sudden pain that started from the back. Taemin watched Minho’s hand jerk behind his head to hold it and to his discovery, he found dried blood smeared against the wall. As he made this discovery, he heard the front door open again and he knew it had to be Sohee. 

"Hyung, what happened to you?” The young brother pressed again. Minho only stared at Taemin for a brief moment before he pulled his hand away and saw the thin sheen of blood that coated his palm. 

Sohee found the two of them, Haneul safely in her arms, but it was an instant regret. Taemin looked behind him and gave Sohee a grave look. Haneul began to squirm in Sohee’s arms out of frustration.

"Appa didn’t get me from school!” He cried out angrily. Sohee tried to shush him but it was already too late. When Taemin looked back at Minho, all he could see on his face was guilt.

-----

A/N: 

Just want to share my thanks to all the readers, subscribers and commentors! I really do appreciate every single one of you for taking the time to read this story.
I also want to send out a disclaimer that if any of the story seems rushed or may not make sense, it's mostly because I'm up until like 3am typing this story ^^; I try to look over/edit the story the best I can, along with trying to make it authentic with more than just typical Korean phrases. 
Plus I had forgotten that 5 year olds aren't toddlers oml (I don't have kids/aren't around kids much so r.i.p)

O yeah if the paragraphs are too long, please tell me. I write the main document of the story in Google docs so I want to make sure that the text is easy on the eyes for the readers ;w;

As always, stay tuned! ^^v (sorry that this A/N looks ugly, I'm typing it on mobile T T )

-M