Week 3 - March 28, 2021

The weather forecasted that it was supposed to be rainy and cold all day. As if being cooped up in the house with absolutely nothing to do on a good day was bad, the weather made it nearly impossible. However, the Choi household was attempting to be in lighter spirits compared to the last two weeks they had. Taemin was upstairs in his room, the music playing from his phone as he was on a video chat on his laptop with his friends “trying” to study for their exam that was Wednesday. 

Downstairs, Sohee was in the kitchen cutting vegetables to cook for their dinner later on. She was distracted however, every time she tried to prepare for dinner, she couldn’t help but look up towards the living room. Eventually, she would stop all together to move closer by the archway of the kitchen and watch Minho play with Haneul. She noticed that Minho was a different person when it was just the two of them together. He was happier and much more like himself. It was as if nothing bad had happened to him. 

Minho had set up Haneul’s tent in the living room and both of them were laying down in it with mounds of pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals. One of Haneul’s toys was almost like a rotating light show that, if placed in a dark room, showed stars and some constellations that would have appeared in a real dark night sky. She watched from a distance as Minho would point out to different stars that lit up above them.

"Haneul-ah, can you tell me the name of that one?” Minho asked while pointing to the ceiling of the tent. 

"Mmm… the Little Dipper!” 

"Ne, and that one?” 

"Big Dipper!” 

"Aigo, when did you become so smart?” 

Haneul simply shrugged while looking down at the spinning light that rested in between the middle of them. Sohee smiled to herself and was happy that both Minho and Haneul were able to get some kind of bonding time together. Once she figured that they were fine, she went back into the kitchen to finish. It was a good thing that she had, or else she would not have liked the answer that Haneul gave to Minho.  

"When you were gone from umma.” Haneul answered quietly. 

Minho had been smoothing down his son’s hair as they laid together in the tent, but he stopped briefly at his answer. The feeling of guilt sparked inside of him but he tried to focus on the artificial stars that continued to rotate above them. Minho decided to not say anything and went back to smoothing down Haneul’s hair. 

"Appa?” 

"Ne, Haneul-ah?” 

"You’re the Big Dipper, appa!” Haneul said randomly but with a smile on his face. Minho looked down at him with a surprised expression on his face. 

"Waa if I’m the Big Dipper then Haneul is the Little Dipper?” He asked and the young boy nodded his head, laughing this time. Minho smiled at Haneul’s laughter while moving the light out of the way so that he could reach Haneul and start tickling him, which was exactly what happened. Squeals and laughter erupted from the tent. Minho took the opportunity to lift Haneul’s sweater and blew air into the boy’s stomach, making the loud farting noise that only made Haneul laugh even harder. 

When Minho pulled away, Haneul crawled up to do the same but on his cheek. It was a little more slobbery than what was intended but it only made Minho laugh. 

Crack!

There was a quick flash of lightning with thunder that followed right after. Haneul practically climbed on top of Minho’s chest out of fear from the loud sound. Instinctively, Minho wrapped his arms around the boy’s small frame. 

"Aigo, Haneul-ah, don’t be afraid.” Minho cooed softly. “The thunder can’t hurt you.” 

The boy buried his face in Minho’s chest when the second crack of thunder sounded as though it slammed against the house. 

"Appa, make the thunder go away.” Haneul whined, his voice partially muffled by his father’s sweater.

Minho could hear the rain pouring harder now from outside. He sighed heavily, not because he was frustrated or stressed, but mostly because it had been a while since he held Haneul on his chest the way he did. He couldn’t remember the last time they had done this but it put things into perspective how much time had really escaped him. Or more that time was taken away from him when he had been captured. 

"We can make the thunder go away by counting,” Minho said softly. Haneul popped his head up and tilted it to the side and Minho smiled. 

There was another rumble of thunder and Haneul ducked down again to hide his face. Little did anyone know that as Minho explained to Haneul about “counting” the thunder away, Sohee had left the kitchen to go upstairs. She was quietly making her way outside of Taemin’s room, where she could hear his friend’s laughter in the background more than it sounded like studying. The music in his room was still playing and Taemin was laughing along with them. His door was almost closed but not all the way, so he had no idea that Sohee was practically on the other side. 

"Yah! We’ve been an hour into this and barely even got the review questions done that are due soon.” Jinki’s voice came from Taemin’s speakers. 

More laughter from friends. “We practically have all of tonight, tomorrow, and Tuesday before the test, Jinki. What’s the rush?” 

Taemin gave a chuckle and there were a few clicks here and there that came from him. Sohee figured now was a good opportunity and she did so by gently knocking outside his door. 

"Ne?” Taemin said from the otherside, almost in a lazy tone. 

"Taemin-ah, can I talk to you?” Sohee responded back. When he realized it was Sohee, he told his friends he’d be right back. She could hear the desk chair creak as soon as he got up and it was only seconds for him to reach the bedroom door. He tilted his head to the side, puzzled at what his sister in law wanted to talk about. 

"Ne, noona? Is something wrong?” Taemin asked her, his mind automatically assuming that maybe it had something to do with Minho. She smiled at him and shook her head. 

"Aniyo, nothing is wrong. I just wanted to say thank you for all that you’ve done since… well, since all of this happened.” She started off slowly, obviously feeling embarrassed and it showed. She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. When she looked back up at him, Taemin smiled warmly.

"Ne, of course, Sohee-noona. I’m happy to help.” He said and confirmed it with a nod. There was also some sort of unsaid awkwardness that Taemin could feel emanating from his own self. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame of his room. 

"Is everything OK with you, though?” Taemin asked in a sincere tone. Sohee glanced up at him and he searched her face for any answers that she may not have said verbally. The question felt overwhelming enough to make her start tearing up. He noticed how easily upset she suddenly became and immediately Taemin went up to her to give her a hug. She accepted the hug and Taemin could feel that she wanted to be held, and he did so but only for a brief moment. 

When Taemin pulled away, she looked up at him, probably more hurt that he had pulled away than what he had asked prior, but then she understood when he said this next:

 "Not here, noona, not while he’s home.” 

 *   *   *

By the time it was dinner, Sohee had to physically go into the tent to get both Minho and Haneul. To her surprise, Minho was actually asleep with Haneul laying on top of his chest. She remembered the first time she’d seen the sight was the first week they had brought Haneul home from the hospital. So many hours of both of them switching off changing dirty diapers and feedings, that one night she found Minho exhausted on the couch in the living room but asleep with their newborn lying comfortably on his chest.  It eventually became a moment frozen in time as a nightstand picture. 

The table was set for dinner and Taemin silently took charge of cooking the meat. The grill was turned up high as Taemin reached for the metal tongs and started to cook the last portion of the meal. Sohee was already setting up Haneul’s plate while cautiously watching Taemin cook and Minho had come from around the corner from the bathroom. Taemin briefly glanced up at Sohee where they both caught each other’s gaze before Minho could notice. 

With a tilt of his head, Minho crossed his arms over his chest, watching Taemin as he cooked. What felt like an eternity to Taemin was actually a couple of minutes before his brother decided to say something. 

“U-wa, I didn’t know you could cook, Taemin-ah.” Minho said with a chuckle in his voice. 

Taemin was caught off guard by the comment and actually looked up at Minho just to see if he had heard him correctly. For a brief moment, his brother looked like the Minho that they all had known. Despite the little “cat nap” he had, the older brother looked well rested. Not to mention that he was actually trying to make a joke with him. 

Taemin smiled back awkwardly. “Ne, hyung. There’s some things I’ve learned while you were… away.” He responded back carefully but immediately he realized that it didn’t seem to faze the older male. 

"Jinjja? Well, have you learned to also not burn the dinner either?” Minho asked with another chuckle. 

Taemin looked down at the small grill to see the meat had been sizzling for quite some time and Minho reached for the knob of the burner to lower it. Taemin could feel his cheeks become flushed with slight embarrassment but he tried not to pay much attention to it. Minho’s attention drifted to taking his seat next to Sohee. Haneul curiously watched his uncle cook while Minho began to load his own plate. 

The atmosphere more or less felt uncomfortable, however, only Sohee and Taemin seemed to feel it. For Minho, it went completely over his head. He was more focused on Haneul skipping over the broccoli that was on his plate. 

"Yah, Haneul-ah, you need to eat the vegetables too.” Minho said almost in a stern voice. Haneul puffed out his cheeks as a response. 

"Sohee-noona, how would you like your meat cooked?” Taemin piped up. 

Sohee took a moment to respond as she watched the exchange between Minho and their son. She could clearly see the tone that Minho had given to Haneul was foreign to the child and it made her on edge. 

"Sohee-noona…?”

She finally broke her attention away from the other two and looked up at Taemin. She gave an awkward smile and shrugged her shoulders. “Any way is fine with me, Taemin-ah.” 

The younger male knew that Sohee was uneasy. His eyes went to Minho, who was slurping the ramyeon from his bowl, and then to Haneul who was obviously testing his limits. 

Just as Minho was about to look back up, Taemin suddenly blurted out to his brother, “Hyung, how do you want your meat cooked?” 

It seemed to have worked, as Minho glanced up at him, raising his thick brows and answered, “Medium is fine.” 

However, it didn’t work effectively. 

"Me too!” Haneul said excitedly and Taemin smiled while nodding his head. 

Minho looked back over to Haneul and glanced down at his plate. The little green trees still sat untouched and cold. This was not what Minho approved of and it showed. He furrowed his brows at the young child. 

"Aniyo, you can have meat when you eat your broccoli.” Minho said in a bit of a stronger tone than before. 

Taemin finished cooking the meat but Sohee didn’t have much of an appetite anymore. He could see that Sohee hadn’t touched her plate much. She was anxious and Taemin could feel his own heart racing. He glanced over at Haneul, who was giving his father a blank look. Taemin knew that look all too well, he’d seen them a few times when Minho had been away, but was easily remedied by playing games or making Haneul happy in some way. Minho wasn’t getting that message.

In all honesty, Minho was the only one eating at the table. Very casually, he reached for Sohee’s plate and made it up for her. Taemin awkwardly took his spot next to Haneul. He watched his brother put Sohee’s plate in front of her. Before, it was endearing when either Sohee or Minho would make each other’s plate, but now it just seemed painful. 

Taemin looked over at Haneul who was pouting. He bit his lip nervously, wondering if he should do something but he was saved from his internal dilemma as Sohee added the meat to Haneul’s plate. 

This immediately set a trigger off with Minho. He turned to face her in his seat, his hand dropping on the table in an irritated thud. “Aish, why do you give in all the time? That doesn’t help with anything.” 

Sohee gave him a glare. “By letting him starve doesn’t help with anything either.” She shot back. 

Taemin by this time felt uncomfortable. He partially wished that he could be eating in his room but when he gave a side glance at Haneul, he saw that his nephew didn’t have much of an appetite either. He didn’t know why but in that moment, Taemin felt anger towards Minho. It wasn’t fair to take things out on a small child, not to mention Minho’s own son. 

"Who said anything about being starved? He needs to understand that in order to get what you want you need to do what’s asked of you first.” Minho explained. 

Taemin remembered that saying. Their father was a firm believer in following the rules but most importantly, minding your parents. Taemin’s mind was racing as he thought about what he could do. 

Sohee shook her head at him. “Minho, he’s only five. He’s a child.”

Finally the idea came to Taemin. With his chopsticks he reached for his own portion of broccoli and playfully nudged Haneul. His nephew looked up to watch Taemin wink at him and stuff the broccoli into his mouth. A little smile came on Haneul’s face and then sudden amazement when Taemin rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and flexed his bicep. 

"See, Haneul-ah? If you eat your broccoli you can get muscles!” Taemin said, smiling with a nod. 

It seemed to be convincing enough at least so the boy could feel okay enough to eat his dinner. Taemin put his arm down and felt a bit proud of himself. When he looked back up, Sohee was pleased that Taemin got her son to eat, but in the back of his mind, he knew that she was still upset. If Minho could shoot daggers from his eyes, Taemin was certain he would have. 

With a low chuckle, Minho faced Taemin. At that moment, Taemin could feel that he was doomed, but if he had to think about it, he didn’t care. Not at this point where his brother was being unfair to a five year old kid and challenging his wife. 

"Maybe you should mind your own business, ne?” Minho’s voice was low as he said it, almost as if he was gritting his teeth. 

Taemin set his jaw as it became a staring match. He glanced over at Sohee, who looked like she was going to freak out herself. He knew the last time that both him and Minho had fought wasn’t something that anyone wanted to go through again. Taemin respected Sohee’s request to not physically fight with Minho in the house, even if it meant that Minho was the one to start it last. Taemin breathed in deeply through his nose and let it out in a sigh as he decided to break the staring contest to try to eat dinner. 

"Umma?”

Haneul’s little voice seared through the silence. Almost in unison, everyone looked at the child. He pushed his plate away from him and looked up at Sohee. 

"Can I have a bath, umma?” He asked politely. 

"Ne, of course.” She responded softly to him. She wasted no time in getting up from the table and walked over to her son to pick him up to take him upstairs. 

Now it was just Taemin and Minho by themselves at the table. Neither one of them could look at each other and the both of them sat still in silence. 

Taemin was the one to finally look up at his brother. When he did he saw that Minho had his gaze focused on the table, his hands were in fists. Without saying a word, Taemin started to clear the table. It didn’t make much sense to be sitting there any longer if no one was talking or eating. 

Minho cringed at the sound of Taemin scraping plates into the trash before tossing them in frustration into the sink. He watched Taemin silently take Sohee’s plate to the garbage and heard the clash of it collide with the others in the soapy water. Taemin stopped in front of Minho, to which he noticed. Again, another staring match before Taemin sighed uncomfortably. 

"Can I have your plate, hyung?” Taemin asked, trying with every fiber of his being to not go off. 

Minho simply glared at his brother in silence. Instead of handing his plate over like Taemin had asked, Minho simply stood up from his chair and headed upstairs.

A/N: Hello, readers and viewers! As always, thank you all SO much for reading this story! I honestly do appreciate all the comments, subscriptions, everything you all do to support! It's honestly been a long time since I've written anything in general so it always makes me die inside of excitement seeing everyone's feedback! 

This chapter was based off this whack  filled episode LOL (Surprised they didn't BURN their place down tbqfh.) 

Also, I apologize for not updating soon enough. I've been overanalyzing how the story should flow which has lead me to only sleep like 4-5 hours a night oml (my docs are disgustingly unorganized atm) I don't want the story to be filled with flashbacks but I really would like to post a chapter looking into Minho and Taemin's home life as children. sOoOoOoOoOo who knows what I'll be doing the next time I update. What do you guys think? ^^; Yay or nay? 

Thanks guys! Stay tuned for next time~~ ^^v

(Also if anyone was wondering, I used Jung SoMin as the "face" for Sohee~ just wanted to point that out for whatever reason. oof)

-M