Fair Warning; Serious-ness ahead.

“Can I help you?”

“Oh,” Sungyeol said softly, surprised.

“Can I help you?” the middle aged woman repeated.

“Oh, um… is Myungsoo home?” he asked, twiddling his fingers.

“And who are you, may I ask?”

“I’m a friend of Myungsoo’s. We’re in the same class. I’m Lee Sungyeol,” he said, bowing. “Would I be allowed to see Myungsoo?”

The woman raised an eyebrow. “Myungsoo? Myungsoo’s in his room,” she said, opening the door for him.

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said politely as he pulled off his shoes and went inside.

She watched him as he lined his shoes neatly by the door, and walked quietly into the houses and up the stairs. He didn’t really know where Myungsoo’s room was, but he had a hunch that it was the sapphire blue door at the end of the hall, and not the pink one. The faint sound of strumming flooded his ears as he gently pushed the door open. The strumming stopped, and he was greeted with Myungsoo holding a guitar and his surprised face.

“Sungyeol? How did you get–…? What are you doing here?” he asked softly.

“Your mom let me in.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Wait, she just let you in? Just like that?”

“Yeah, why?”

He set his guitar down next to him on the bed. “Well, it’s definitely new, I’ll tell you that. So, what brings you here, Yeol?”

Sungyeol walked in, flopping down next to him on the bed. “I need to blow off some steam,” he said, muffled by the blue quilt.

Myungsoo crossed his legs and stared down at him. “What are you mad about, Yeol? Did you get in a fight with your mom?”

“Quite the opposite actually.” He lifted his head up. “I’m mad at something my dad said.”

“I’ve never heard about your dad before,” Myungsoo said quizzically, lying down on his stomach next to him.

Sungyeol turned his head to face him. “Honestly, I don’t like talking about him. We don’t exactly have a… good relationship.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

Their eyes locked and Sungyeol whispered, “Try me.”

Myungsoo flipped over onto his back. “That bad, huh?”

“Well, I can’t really call it bad. I’m just not too keen on talking about it. I’ve never told anyone about my dad – not Sunggyu, not Woohyun, not Sungjong or anybody.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t talk about my dad either.”

“That’s true,” Sungyeol said, sitting up on his elbows. “

“If I talk about my dad, will you talk about yours?”

“…Maybe.”

“Lee Sungyeol, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this upset before.”

“Then you’ve never really seen me upset, have you?” Sungyeol whispered.

“I don’t… think I have.”

He sighed and flipped over to his back. “Maybe I’m just really upset this time.”

“This time?”

“It’s not the first time my dad and I haven’t… agreed,” he said cautiously.

“What did you disagree about?”

Sungyeol breathed deeply. “I just feel like… I’m being pushed away. Like my dad doesn’t love me. And… it kind of hurts.”

“What does your dad do for a living?”

“Well… he used to work as an editor for a magazine. And now he’s… never mind.”

Myungsoo frowned. It really was his first time seeing Sungyeol this upset over something. It wasn’t an immature dissatisfaction either; he was genuinely upset over something. And Myungsoo didn’t like it; he wanted to comfort him.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“…I don’t know,” he murmured, turning his body away from the other.

“Would you be more comfortable if I talked first?”

“Maybe…” he responded warily.

“Well, then I will. Maybe it’ll convince you that your dad really does love you.”

Sungyeol turned back again, a sad and curious light in his eyes. “Go ahead.”

“Okay, how should I start…? Your father was a magazine editor, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then… let’s put it this way – my father was a magician.”

Sungyeol furrowed his eyebrows curiously. “Magician?”

He took a deep breath. “Yeol, have you ever wondered you’ve never seen a trace of a main male leader in this household?”

“Yes, actually, I have. But what does that have to do with magic?”

“You’re wondering how he’s a magician, right?”

“…Yes,” he answered hesitantly.

Myungsoo stared up at the ceiling, a bitter smile gracing his face. “He’s a magician because… well, as soon as he heard the word ‘baby’ he… disappeared.”

There was a pregnant pause as the information sank in. The atmosphere grew heavy and thick, you could almost grab on to it. Myungsoo didn’t meet Sungyeol’s eyes, but Sungyeol kept staring at his profile, his eyes filled with sadness.

“Myung, I–”

“No, it’s alright,” he said softly, looking over to him. “You should know, shouldn’t you? I’m part of the Lee Sungyeol Friendship Club, after all.”

“…You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Sungyeol responded gently.

“No – I need to get this off my chest.” He locked eyes with Sungyeol. “You’ll listen, right?”

“Of course.”

He took in another deep breath. “My mom and dad weren’t married yet. They were just… dating. Engaged, in fact. He got her pregnant, and she was overjoyed to carry his child. He wasn’t that happy, though. He didn’t want a burden like kids. And like I said, he just… left her. She was crushed and gave birth to me on her own.”

“At least your mother was kind enough to take care of you–”

“But she wasn’t,” Myungsoo interrupted. “She wasn’t that kind, Yeol. She believed that I was standing in the way of their relationship and was just about ready to give me up for adoption. But he called her one day telling her to take care of me, and that he was sorry. So, she took me in.”

“So, you’re saying she doesn’t really care about you?”

“…No, she cares about me. But I know that deep down she hates me for ruining her relationship. I’ve never seen any real affection from her, but I know she doesn’t loathe me. She’s been a lot nicer nowadays.”

“Do you know why?”

“I think… I think she regained contact with my dad – whoever he is. I think she’s been meeting him. I’m not too sure if it’s good or bad, since I never knew my dad.”

“…Isn’t it better that way?” Sungyeol whispered warily.

He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, Yeol?”

“I mean, isn’t it better? Not knowing your father? Granted, I feel awful, but isn’t it better this way? You’ll never miss your father; never ache when you think of him. It wouldn’t… hurt as much,” he whispered.

“Is that why you hate your dad?” Myungsoo asked gently, scooting a bit closer.

“I don’t hate him, Myung, I can’t,” Sungyeol admitted weakly. “I’ll never be able to hate him because I love him so much.”

“Sungyeol, you don’t have to talk if you don’t feel comfortable,” Myungsoo soothed. He could practically see Sungyeol on the verge of tears.

He took a shaky breath. “It’s okay – if you can tell your story, I can too.”

“…Alright, Yeol. But if you want to stop, you can anytime, okay?”

“I understand.” He started with a weak smile. “Where shall I begin?” he wondered softly. “I guess I can start when Daeyeol and I were really young. Older than toddlers, but younger than ‘big kids.’ Our dad played with us a lot, and he loved us to death, and so did our mom.” He inhaled again. “But they didn’t love each other as much as they loved us. They got in so many fights and sometimes; I can remember what they said to each other. I don’t like remembering them, of course. But eventually, they divorced, but my brother and I were too young to know what that meant. We only knew that our dad didn’t come home after work anymore. Then one day, our dad took us to his new house, and we stayed there and played for a couple of days. But…” He closed his eyes and bit his lip, his tears threatening to spill.

Myungsoo lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Yeol, it’s okay. You don’t need to.”

“No, I can do this,” he said defiantly, snapping his tear-glistening eyes open. He breathed another unstable breath and continued. “But what I didn’t know then is that they went to court to decide who would have the custody rights. My… my mom won.”

Myungsoo paused; his eyes open in shock. “But your dad–”

“You don’t know how heart wrenching it is,” Sungyeol whispered, his voice shaking, “to see the police take your father away in handcuffs for kidnapping his own children. He’s in jail, Myungsoo. He still is.”

Sungyeol turned away and sniffed, and Myungsoo knew that the tears had over flown by now.

“He has to serve a nineteen year sentence,” he said, wiping away the lone tear that lay on his cheek. “I write letters to him, but he doesn’t like it. He always sends back the presents I get him and tells me to forget him and move on. I know it’s for my own good, but I can’t bring myself to do it.”

Myungsoo sighed sadly, and Sungyeol’s shoulder. He sat up and comforted the boy as well as he could. In the corner of his eye, he spotted his guitar. He picked it up gingerly and gently coaxed Sungyeol to sit up.

“Hey, I might not be a therapist or anything, but you came here to blow off steam, right?”

“…Yes.”

He tapped his guitar. “I don’t know about you, but when I need to blow off some steam, I play music.”

“But… I can’t play the guitar.”

Myungsoo cast him that kitten-like smile. “Then I’ll teach you.”

…

“Wait, I don’t get it. Why do you need a guitar pick when you can use your fingers?”

“It really depends on how you want it to sound, Yeol,” Myungsoo explained, his hands hovering over Sungyeol’s fingers.

Carefully, Sungyeol strummed a chord, the harmony filling the air. “There! I did it, didn’t I?!” he asked excitedly, looking towards Myungsoo.

“Not bad, Yeol. After two hours, you finally managed to play a G-chord.”

Sungyeol pouted. “Well, it’s not as easy as it looks. You know how to play – I don’t.”

“It’s so simple,” Myungsoo smirked as he rolled his eyes.

Sungyeol punched him, a smile also playing on his lips. He glanced back at the acoustic guitar, placing his fingers at the G-chord position again. He strummed it once again, but this time the sound of a sour note echoing.

Sungyeol sighed and stared down at his fingers.

“Well, I tried!” he said, handing the guitar back to Myungsoo.

Myungsoo held it in his arms, plucking a few note here and there. “Well, it was a good try,” he chuckled.

“Where’d you learn how to play, anyways?”

“Me? Well, believe it or not, Jessica forced me to learn it.”

“Why?”

“She wanted to sing as a gift to her boyfriend, and she wanted me to accompany her,” he said, smiling broadly.

“Wow, sounds comical. Wish I was there.”

“Actually, she’s quite a good singer,” Myungsoo said, leaning in to tap Sungyeol’s nose.

“She seems like one, too. But you helping her serenade someone seems adorable in the weirdest and quirkiest way.”

“Want to get a better picture? She made me wear a teddy bear costume.”

Sungyeol guffawed just imagining Kim Myungsoo in a teddy bear suit. That face in a bear costume. Oh, it was just too precious.

“Never thought I’d live to hear the day where Myungsoo admits he wore the teddy bear suit,” a voice came from the doorway.

“Jessica-noona!” Myungsoo grinned, waving at her to enter. “What brings you here?”

She gave a sideways smile before fishing something out of her purse. “You left this at IU’s house yesterday,” she said, holding up a notebook.

“I did?” Myungsoo questioned, grabbing the notebook and glancing over it. “Where did IU find it?”

“Ji-Eun found it on her bed, you forgetful mess of a brother,” she teased, ruffling his hair.

“Yah, noona! Do not touch my hair!”

Sungyeol snickered. “You sound just like Sungjong,” he laughed.

The adopted sibling looked over to him. Jessica smiled at him with her white teeth. “You’re Lee Sungyeol, right?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“I’m Jessica,” she said, holding out her hand. “You already know – we met a few days ago – but I just felt the need to introduce myself.”

Myungsoo rolled his eyes and continued plucking strings on the guitar. Jessica eyed him, and traced a manicured nail down the side of the instrument.

“Did you finish learning the song?” she asked.

“Which song?” he replied, eyes focused on his hands.

“Can U Smile,” she responded. “We have to get it ready by next week. Jay’s been feeling down and I want to cheer him up a bit.”

“I refuse to wear the bear suit.”

“Oh, come on, Myung! Jay thought it was adorable!”

“You know, it’s not really a great feeling when you’re acknowledged by your sister’s boyfriend as ‘adorable’,” he mocked.

Jessica pouted and flicked his forehead. “You’re wearing that bear suit, whether you like it or not!”

“Yeah? Or else what?”

“Or I’ll… I’ll tell IU what you did when you were five!” she threatened.

Myungsoo’s jaw dropped. “But… that was when I was five!” he exclaimed.

“Which makes it all that much more embarrassing,” she smirked.

“Noona, you can’t do that to me!” he cried.

Jessica exited the room. “You have a week to make up your mind!” she called from down the hall.

“But…! Argh, she drives me insane sometimes,” Myungsoo grumbled, focusing on his guitar strings again.

Sungyeol stared at him curiously, tilting his head slightly. “Myung, excuse my asking but… why were you at IU’s house?”

Myungsoo’s fingers froze mid-chord before he looked up and smiled.

“No reason.”

…

“Sunggyu!” Woohyun sang as he burst through to door of the Love Hospital.

Sungyeol barely glanced at him, only pointing a finger in he direction his boyfriend was probably in. Woohyun skipped the way Sungyeol pointed, spotting his toffee-haired boyfriend almost immediately.

“Gyu-Gyu!” he sang, leaping over to envelop him in a bone-crushing back-hug. “I missed you, baby!”

“I, uh–”

“Did you get my text?” he asked, nuzzling his back. “You didn’t respond yesterday, so I just wanted to make sure when I visited today.”

“No, I–”

“Oh, well, I wanted to tell you that I was going to take us out to dinner, you know at that new restaurant down the roa–”

“Woohyun?”

Said boy turned around and grinned. “Oh, hi, Gyu! I’m just telling Gyu how I wanted to–… wait.” He turned his supposed boyfriend around to meet the red, flustered face of Henry.

“Who’s this?” he asked, surprised out of his wits.

“Hyun, this is our new doctor – Henry,” Sunggyu explained.

Woohyun blinked. “Sunggyu, he… he looks so much like you!” he exclaimed, gasping as he looked back and forth between his boyfriend and Henry. “But his eyes are a bigger… like mine!” he gasped.

“Oh, no, Woohyun, don’t–”

“Henry! You could be the love child Gyu and I have been wanting!”

Henry turned tomato red. “Love child? I-I don’t really–”

“Woohyun, don’t scare the kid,” Sunggyu sighed.

“Aw, come on! Let’s adopt him! He has my cheeks, and your nose!”

“A-Adopt me?!” Henry exclaimed.

“Hyun, he’s terrified, let him go.”

Woohyun turned to Henry and smoothed down his hair. “Henry, darling – from now on, call me Woohyun-umma, and call him Sunggyu-appa, okay?”

“…Sunggyu-appa?” he said reluctantly.

“…You actually did it. Why would you give into Woohyun’s fantasies, Henry? Now he’ll probably feed you at lunch, too.”

“Maybe I will!” Woohyun cried, hugging Henry’s shoulders to himself.

“Hyun, we’re not adopting Henry!”

“Too late, it’s already done!” he said stubbornly. “And Sungjong is the godfather.”

“Yes!” came Sungjong’s voice from another room.

“Um, Woohyun-umma…” Henry said slowly.

“Yes, darling?”

“Can you… can you let go of me?”

“Of course, honey-pie!”

Myungsoo, who was watching from the sidelines, chuckled to himself as Sunggyu slapped his forehead.

“That escalated quickly,” he muttered.

He left the growing commotion and entered his own office; where on his spotless desk was a scrap of paper. Curiously, he picked it up and scanned it over. He smiled widely and set the note back on his desk, just staring at it.

Hey, Myung

Thanks for the other day.

It means a lot to me.

:) Yeol :)

A/N

Because, believe it or not, guise, this thing has a plot. (WHHHAAAAT?) Surprised at such a faster update? Well, it's summer and I have too much time on my hands and i guess that's good for you all X3

Yes, well, I thought it was time to start picking up the plot some more kkk I finally reveal their pasts. I never mentioned anything about Yeol's past, but that makes it all the more surprising, doesn't it? X3 I feel so bad for both of them. )X}

But want to hear (see) some good news!? 8D LOOKIE!

Ain't that cool?! I come up as one of the search options! Shout out to @Ayo2oya for showing me! Thanks so much for your support and love, guys!!! I actually searched it up, and only the first page is relevant, but I see people have recommended me! ^^ Thanks so much guys! And WHOA! 350+ subscribers?! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

...

...

...

You're probably wondering why the A/N hasn't been taken over yet, huh? Well, to tell the truth, I'm camping out in Sungjong's closet -- they'll never find me behind all this clothing! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ---

/closet door opens/

Jong: ... what are you doing in my closet?

me: well... what are YOU doing with a bat, mister?

Jong: /hides bat/ Nothing.

me; YOU WERE GOING TO TRY AND TAKE OVER THE A/N WEREN'T YOU?!

Jong: Psh, no. Lemon candy?

me: ... why thank you! 8D

/eats lemon candy/

/passes out/

Jong: ...er >B]