Myungsoo’s POV

I was sleeping when suddenly, the doorbell rang. I was startled awake and fell out of my bed with a thump!

Rubbing my , I made my way to the door and opened it, yawning widely.

And then I stopped mid-yawn when I saw who was at my door.

Hurriedly, I tried to pat down my hair as I immediately bowed to So Eun’s father. Luckily, I didn’t’ blush easily so there was no heat flashing across my face.

Still.

“Hello, Myungsoo.”

“Hello. Please, come in”, I said, opening the door wide open to let him pass by. Thankfully, my apartment is always clean.

“Your apartment is clean”, So Eun’s father remarked, taking a seat on the sofa.

“You say that like you’re surprised”, I grinned, heading towards the kitchen to make some tea for the both of us. 

“Well, in my experience, high school boys were not the cleanest animals on earth”, he responded, smiling.

I laid out the tea in front of both of us and received his thanks.

“Well”, I said, “there are some good things that come with living without your parents.”

So Eun’s father looked down at this and he said softly, “Yes, I hope so.”

I had no idea what this meant so I probed, “Is there any particular reason why you’re here?”

He sighed and didn’t look up for a while.

I put down my tea. Was I about to learn the reason why So Eun’s parents had been so off lately?

“Myungsoo-ah”, he finally looked up at me, “I… my business went bankrupt.”

My eyes widened. What?!

It was a damn good thing I’d put down the tea because otherwise, I’m not sure where it would have ended up.

“I pulled out your stocks, son, and transferred your money to the bank, but… the only option now is for me to sell the company in the hopes that-“

“You shouldn’t have pulled out my stocks!”, I started saying, almost shouting,” You should have kept it, used it-“

“It wouldn’t have helped”, he answered me, a small smile on his face, “but I appreciate the thought.”

“What… what are you going to do?”, I asked him, fearful of the answer.

“My wife and I will go overseas to try to deal with the regulations of selling a bankrupt company”, he explained,”…As for So Eun-“

“She can stay here”, I offered immediately. She must be broken in half right now… when all she knew was luxury… I needed to put aside my problems and be there for her. And I owed her parents this comfort, at least. These people, who had been nothing short of true parents except in the biological sense… I owed them the world.

“I was hoping you would say that”, So Eun’s father said, “In return, I’ll pay for So Eun’s half of the rent monthly and-“

“There’s no need-“, I started to say, but So Eun’s father interrupted me, “I know. But let me retain some sense of pride, son.” His voice was gentle, but firm.

“I’m sorry”, I replied, sincere, “I didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just… I’m so grateful for all you’ve done for me… since I was little… and I’ve always wanted to repay you as much as I can.”

He nodded before he reached across the table and took my hand. He looked at me, and I could see the tears form in his eyes. They must have been reflected in my own eyes as well.

“Blood or not, you are my son, in the truest sense”, he said, his voice soft.

My voice caught in my throat. How could I respond to such a precious, kind sentence?

He smiled warmly at me one more time before he stood up and left the room.

How long would be it until I see him again, I wondered.

Bye, Dad.

So Eun’s POV

“You can have my bed, it’s all made up now… and I’ll sleep on the couch, okay?”

“So Eun?”

“…Eun ah?”

I wasn’t sure where I was looking, but I didn’t care. I just felt so tired, all of a sudden.

I felt myself drop to the floor, but Myungsoo’s arms were around me before I could hurt myself.

And unexplainably, it was the feel of his touch and the scent of him that made tears drip from my eyes.

“Eun ah…”, I felt his fingers gently brush the tears away.

I closed my eyes and pressed myself against him, “I swear I had no idea…”, I whispered to him.

Myungsoo’s breath caught, but then he replied, “I know. I believe you.” His arms were wrapped around my waist, but he raised one hand and softly my hair.

“Everything’s going to be okay”, he whispered to me; his voice filled with a deep sorrow.

I realized that I was not the only one who had lost their parents…

“You’ll miss them too, right?”, I asked him.

He sighed and held me tighter.

“I miss them already.”