(Six years later)

Unknowingly, the years flew by, and before anyone knew it the kids were seven. A lot had happened in that period of time. For one, Doojoon and Yoseob had finally gotten married when the kids were five. It was a small event, consisting of only close friends and family. Doojoon was currently working as a soccer coach and sports teacher for the school that the kids went to, while Yoseob continued working part-time at the convenience store. Of course, Hyunseung had been happy for his friends, but there was no helping the twinge of sadness inside him when he looked at the promise ring he still wore. Not one day did he take it off, because he stuck to his promise and he knew that Junhyung did, too. It was just that seeing their best friends get married hurt, just a little.

Also, Gikwang and Dongwoon had gotten married too. They graduated in 2016 and had their wedding in 2017, a year before Doojoon and Yoseob. The only difference was that the two youngest members of their clique had actually managed to not get pregnant before their wedding, and they currently had an adorable two-year-old son Minhyuk. Gikwang was a part-time actor, part-time dancer, while Dongwoon was a part-time model. Neither of them had wanted to get a full-time job, not wanting to leave Minhyuk alone with anyone else until he at least grew older.

Hara had visited a few times over the years, once in a few months, but they usually only talked about things such as the kids or what they were currently working as. There was never any mentioning of Junhyung, not even once. Hyunseung genuinely wondered why. It wasn’t as if it was a forbidden topic – Hyunseung wasn’t going to hate her or be upset. Sometimes even their friends tried to avoid talking about Junhyung and it annoyed Hyunseung, really.

Geurim had found a boyfriend over the years, and most of their other friends settled down as well. It was safe to say that only Sungyeol and Hyunseung were unengaged; everyone else was either married or making wedding plans already. Hyunseung was determined to wait though. He wasn’t going to give up on Junhyung, even if seven years had passed since he left.

It was currently a sunny Thursday morning, 2^nd July 2020. Hyunseung was woken up by an extremely hyper Ilhoon, as usual, and sighed as he looked at the date marked out on the calendar. Apart from birthdays, there were three important dates that Hyunseung marked out every year. Under each date, he would write The Day I Met Him, The Day I Got Him, and The Day I Lost Him. Today was the last of the three dates, and Hyunseung wondered if another year would pass without him seeing Junhyung again.

“Umma, come on I’m hungry!” Ilhoon whined, bouncing on the bed and pouting at Hyunseung.

Sighing inwardly once more, Hyunseung pushed his thoughts away, chuckled and sat up. “Go brush your teeth and breakfast will be done by the time you’re out, alright?” he asked. Grinning, Ilhoon nodded and gave Hyunseung a kiss on the cheek before running off into the toilet. “Be careful!”

Then, yawning and stretching, Hyunseung got up and went to prepare breakfast for him and Ilhoon. They ate simply most mornings, but every now and then Hyunseung would treat Ilhoon to breakfast outside. For today, Hyunseung made a couple of sandwiches and set them on a plate before going to wash up himself. Most parents wouldn’t want to leave their child alone, but Hyunseung knew that Ilhoon was sensible enough to behave for at least a few minutes. He’d always been obedient.

After washing up, Hyunseung joined Ilhoon for breakfast and let his son clean up with him. Then Ilhoon got ready for school, having started primary school this year. Ilhoon being in primary school allowed Hyunseung to teach dance lessons in the afternoon and fetch Ilhoon after his lessons ended. If Hyunseung couldn’t make it, either Doojoon or Yoseob would fetch the kids. It was especially convenient for Doojoon to pick them up since he taught there.

“I’m going to be late for school,” Ilhoon mumbled, looking at the time and jutting his lower lip out. Most kids would love being late for school, but Ilhoon was one of the exceptions. Hyunseung would say that he raised his son well, but honestly the boy was just more mature than others.

“No you’re not. I’ll get Doojoon hyung to drive you,” Hyunseung assured, already calling his best friend while Ilhoon got dressed and put on his shoes. It really helped that they lived one floor away from each other, since Yoseob and Hyunseung took turns to watch the kids in the day.

Once Ilhoon was done, they headed downstairs to meet Doojoon, Yoseob, and the twins. Yoseob was getting ready for work, usually working morning shifts and picking the kids up after he ended work. He usually had some time to do his own stuff for two to three hours before they ended school, and most days he would clean the house up or make some snacks for the kids so that they could eat while doing their work or playing.

“Good morning Auntie Hyunseung!” Jihyun chirped.

“Good morning Jihyun-ah. Where’s your sister?”

“She didn’t pack her bag last night, as usual,” Jihyun replied, rolling her eyes.

Doojoon clucked his tongue at his elder daughter. “Jihyun, don’t roll your eyes, it’s rude. Sohyun-ah, hurry up in there!” he shouted. Hyunseung laughed, thankful that he only had one son to deal with and that his son was actually sensible and listened well to instructions.

Thankfully, Yoseob helped Sohyun pack and they hurried down to the car so that the kids wouldn’t be late for school. Doojoon then sent Yoseob to work and Hyunseung to the dance academy before returning to the school and reporting for work.

“Hyunseung-ah, can you stay back and cover Hyoyeon’s lesson later? She’s down with a pretty bad flu,” Donghee asked, once Hyunseung arrived at the dance academy. Pursing his lips, Hyunseung nodded and took his phone out to call Yoseob.

“Seobie, can you take care of Ilhoon for me till I get back? I need to cover someone. Yeah, maybe you could bring them to the park and play. Thanks Seobie!” Hyunseung said gratefully, going off to prepare for his first lesson of the day.

------------------------

Junhyung inhaled the fresh air, having missed the feeling of being out of the concrete walls that imprisoned him for exactly seven years. He was supposed to have served for a few more years, but was released early on parole. He wished that Kangta could’ve been released with him, but the elder had a much longer term to serve after all.

Because Junhyung didn’t call anyone to tell them about his release from prison, he had to use whatever money he had on him, which wasn’t much, to cab back to the familiar yet foreign city of Seoul. He could’ve informed Kyujong, Jungmin or even BoA, but he didn’t want to trouble them. In his opinion, they’d done more than enough for him.

It took nearly an hour to get back to Seoul, and in that time Junhyung thought a lot about what he was going to do. Was he supposed to just show up at his and Hyunseung’s apartment, expecting the elder to accept him after he disappeared for seven years? Sungjong had told him that Hyunseung had asked where Junhyung was before, and eventually the elder gave up on asking. He wondered if Hyunseung had already given up on him, after seven long years.

He settled on going to the park near the apartment, hoping that maybe he would see Hyunseung, Doojoon or Yoseob and approach them. If he didn’t, then perhaps he’d find BoA and stay the night at her place while he figured out what to do. He had a long time to think about how he’d approach Hyunseung after he was released, but now that he was actually out of prison he had no idea what he should do.

Sitting down at the pond, Junhyung sighed and watched the ducks swim around. A small smile crept onto his face when he remembered feeding the ducks with Hyunseung, just the two of them, all those years ago. It’d been relaxing, fun, and he really missed those days. How he wished Jaewon had never come into the picture; never threatened Hyunseung and Ilhoon’s life.

He sat there for about an hour, and before he knew it, it was 3pm. Junhyung still had no idea what to do, and on top of that he didn’t know how long he should wait at the park. He was about to get up and find a bench to sit on, sort his thoughts out, when he felt a ball hit his back. Frowning, Junhyung picked the soccer ball up and tried to see who the owner of the ball was.

“Uncle, over here!” a small boy called out.

Following the voice, Junhyung looked up and his breath caught in his throat. He didn’t know how he knew, because Sungjong and Sungyeol hadn’t showed him recent photos of Ilhoon, but he knew that the boy standing in front of him was his son. The boy seemed about seven, and held an uncanny resemblance to Junhyung when he was young.

Forcing a smile onto his face to disguise his shock, Junhyung walked over to the boy before squatting down to his eye level. “And what’s your name?” Junhyung asked, despite the fact that the question was pretty much redundant. It didn’t take a genius to guess that this was Ilhoon, even if you didn’t know either of them. The similarity between father and son was too much.

“Umma told me not to talk to strangers… but uncle, can I have my ball back? Auntie Yoseob will be worried if I’m gone for too long,” the boy mumbled.

Junhyung hummed, wondering if there was a way he could trick Ilhoon into revealing his and his mother’s names. “Let me guess… are you called Ilhoon?” Junhyung asked, hiding his smirk when Ilhoon’s eyes widened in shock.

“How did you know?”

“Your umma is Jang Hyunseung, am I right?” Junhyung tried again. Ilhoon’s jaw dropped, clearly awed at the fact that Junhyung knew both him and Hyunseung. Bingo – he’d found Ilhoon without even trying, and hopefully he could convince Ilhoon that he wasn’t a bad guy. “How about I go and find Auntie Yoseob with you? I’m sure he’s worried.”

Ilhoon thought about it, his brows furrowing as he considered his options, and nodded. “What’s your name, uncle?” he asked curiously, tilting his head cutely.

“I’m Yong Junhyung,” he replied with a smile.

“You have the same surname as me!” Ilhoon exclaimed. “Let’s go find Auntie Yoseob! I want to play with Sohyunnie!” the boy said excitedly, grabbing onto Junhyung’s arm and pulling him towards whichever direction he came from. Junhyung chuckled slightly. Of course I have the same surname as you. I’m your father, after all.

As they neared the playground, Ilhoon let go of Junhyung and ran towards an extremely familiar figure. Junhyung spotted two young girls and guessed that they were Doojoon and Yoseob’s twin daughters. “Auntie Yoseob, I found an uncle who has the same surname as me! He knows mine and umma’s names too!” Ilhoon exclaimed, grinning toothily at the elder.

Junhyung saw Yoseob frown visibly. “How’s that possible, Ilhoon-ah? The only person who would possibly have the same surname as you and know you would be…” he trailed off, looking up and spotting his best friend in the distance. “Oh my god. Ilhoon, take your ball and play with the girls, please? I need to talk to this uncle.”

Ilhoon nodded, running back to Junhyung and taking the ball from him. “Thanks uncle!” he chirped, before running off to play with Jihyun and Sohyun. Yoseob walked towards the elder, his mouth slightly agape in shock.

“Junhyung hyung, is it really you?” Yoseob asked, his voice no louder than a whisper.

Nodding, Junhyung smiled and opened his arms for a hug. “Nice to see you again, Seob. You have no idea how much I’ve missed all of you,” he said. Yoseob began to tear up and threw himself into Junhyung’s arms, crying and scolding his best friend for disappearing for so long.

“I know I was gone for a long time, but I’m back now. I’m not going to leave again,” he promised.

“You better don’t,” Yoseob cried.

“I won’t, I promise.”

Hyunseung picked his phone up, having just ended his second dance lesson, and raised his brow when he saw a few missed calls from Yoseob. For a moment he panicked, wondering if something had happened to Ilhoon, but then he read the text that Yoseob had sent and frowned.

‘Hurry home. There’s someone here to see you.’

Sighing, Hyunseung figured that one of his friends had dropped by, but why was it so urgent that Yoseob needed to give him so many missed calls? Shrugging to himself, Hyunseung said bye to Donghee and grabbed his stuff before hurrying home. It was a half hour walk home, and Hyunseung was even more tired than usual due to having taught two classes that day. He headed to Doojoon and Yoseob’s apartment, wondering who exactly it was that was looking for him.

Opening the door, Hyunseung took his shoes off and smiled when his son ran into him and grabbed his hand. “Umma, guess who I met today!” Ilhoon asked eagerly.

Chuckling, Hyunseung asked, “You made a new friend in school?”

Ilhoon shook his head furiously, pulling Hyunseung to the living room. On the way there, Hyunseung heard Doojoon and Yoseob talking to someone, and the voice that was replying sounded so familiar to his ears. But Hyunseung knew that he was being ridiculous and hopeful for nothing; it couldn’t possibly be him.

“Hyunseung, you’re back!” Doojoon exclaimed slightly awkwardly. Hyunseung frowned at his best friend, wondering why exactly he and Yoseob were acting all weird and stuff. Ilhoon let go of his hand and ran to the couch, joining the mystery man and blabbering about how he had the best mother in the world.

“I know he’s the best. That’s why his son is the best, too,” the man replied, getting up slowly and turning around to smile at Hyunseung. The elder’s heart stopped in his chest before it began beating erratically, because how is this possible? It’s been seven years. Is it really him?

“Umma, meet Uncle Junhyung!” Ilhoon introduced happily. Hyunseung looked over at Yoseob, clearly in a state of shock, and the younger simply shrugged. Junnie didn’t tell Ilhoon that he’s his father. Am I supposed to tell him? And what am I supposed to say?

“Long time no see, Seungie,” Junhyung started slowly. Sensing the weird atmosphere, Doojoon ushered Yoseob and Ilhoon to the girls’ room, where they were doing their homework. Once the door was shut, Junhyung bit his lip and scratched the back of his head. “I missed you. A lot.”

Hyunseung nodded, trying to formulate a response but unable to find the words. This was Junhyung standing in front of him, the same Junhyung that was gone for exactly seven years. The one who never failed to send him and Ilhoon presents every single year. The one who broke his heart, the one who made it race, and the one that owned it.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Junhyung asked worriedly, wondering if Hyunseung had actually moved on. From what Doojoon and Yoseob said, the elder didn’t have a single boyfriend in all those years. It gave Junhyung hope that Hyunseung still loved him, and the fact that he was still wearing the promise ring reinforced that hope, but that hope was starting to diminish as Hyunseung just stood there in silence. “Please, Seungie, talk to me.”

“You grew thinner,” Hyunseung whispered almost inaudibly. “Where were you?”

“…in prison. I turned myself in,” Junhyung admitted. It felt good to finally tell Hyunseung the truth, because it to lie to him for so long. It wasn’t like Junhyung wanted to lie, but what choice did he have? For all he knew, Jaewon was still keeping tabs on him. He wasn’t going to risk Hyunseung and Ilhoon’s safety just because he didn’t want to lie.

Hyunseung walked over to Junhyung slowly, cupping the younger’s face and biting his lower lip. “Was it tough in there? Did they not feed you well?” Hyunseung asked, his voice laced with worry.

Junhyung shook his head with a small smile. “I just didn’t have much appetite over the years. I couldn’t sleep when all I could think about was how you and Ilhoon were doing.”

That’s when the first tear made its way down Hyunseung’s cheek. “I’m sorry you had to leave. If it weren’t for me being so weak, you wouldn’t have had to leave,” he sobbed. Junhyung sighed, enveloping Hyunseung in a tight embrace and letting the elder cry in his chest.

“It’s not your fault and hey, I’m out now aren’t I? Don’t cry Seungie, please. You know I hate it when you cry,” Junhyung mumbled. Hyunseung looked up and sniffled, closing his eyes when Junhyung placed a soft kiss on his forehead. Oh how he’d missed this feeling.

“I missed you so, so much. You have no idea,” Hyunseung cried. “Don’t ever leave again.”

“I promise, I won’t ever leave you and Ilhoon ever again.”

-----------------------

About a half hour passed before Hyunseung was completely calm and didn’t look like he just cried. He didn’t want Ilhoon to know that he cried, because Ilhoon didn’t like it when he cried and he wouldn’t like anyone who made him cry.

Sitting on the couch and leaning on Junhyung’s shoulder, Hyunseung sighed. “How am I going to tell Ilhoon that you’re his appa? He’s seen me cry because of you, and he thinks you’re a bad guy for making me cry so much,” Hyunseung mumbled.

“I think I’m a bad guy too,” Junhyung admitted, earning himself a slap on the arm from Hyunseung. “It’s true! I made you cry so much, you said it yourself.”

Hyunseung rolled his eyes. “You’re supposed to make a good impression on Ilhoon, stupid. Should I tell them to come out?” he asked, looking towards the girls’ room. “Did you meet Jihyun and Sohyun yet or were they too shy?”

“Sohyun was fine but Jihyun didn’t seem to like me much,” Junhyung grimaced.

Hyunseung nodded in understanding. “She’s shyer than Sohyun is. Why don’t I tell them to come out and you can have a proper introduction to them? We’ll tell Ilhoon who you are when we get home,” Hyunseung suggested.

“Is it really alright for me to move back in right away?” Junhyung asked apprehensively. He didn’t know how Ilhoon would feel about him if he knew that he was his father, the one who caused his mother to cry so many times. Perhaps now, Ilhoon liked Junhyung, but who knew how he’d feel about him when he found out Junhyung’s identity?

“He’s going to have to deal with it. I’ve never been one to pamper him when it comes to matter like this,” Hyunseung told Junhyung, confident that Ilhoon would be able to accept the truth sooner or later. Junhyung just had to win the boy over. It was as easy as that. “Doojoon, Yoseob, bring the kids out please,” he called out, not bothering to wait for Junhyung’s response. In the years that passed, it seemed as if he and Junhyung had switched personalities. Junhyung used to be so confident, while Hyunseung was usually the one questioning everything.

The five people came out from the room, Ilhoon jumping right into Hyunseung’s lap. “Isn’t Uncle Junhyung really nice?” the boy asked.

Hyunseung smiled and nodded. “He sure is. Now why don’t you tell Jihyun that? She doesn’t seem to like him very much,” Hyunseung told his son. Ilhoon nodded, climbing off the couch and pulling Jihyun over, rambling on and on about how Junhyung was a nice guy and why Jihyun should like him.

Junhyung caught up with Doojoon and Yoseob for a while more, and they agreed that they should have a meal together with Gikwang and Dongwoon soon, surprise them with his appearance. Junhyung, Hyunseung and Ilhoon left after that, heading upstairs so that Ilhoon could take a shower before doing the rest of his homework. He’d been so distracted talking to Junhyung that he didn’t even touch his homework, and neither Doojoon nor Yoseob had the heart to tell him to do his work.

When they got home, Ilhoon quickly took his shower and started on his homework, while Hyunseung got Junhyung settled back in. It was heart-warming for Junhyung to see that the presents he’d given the two of them were still there, proudly on display and well cleaned. He took a look at the calendar, noticing what was written on today’s date, and felt his heart break slightly. How much had he hurt Hyunseung by leaving? Just how much pain had he put the elder through?

“Junnie, are you going to shower?” Hyunseung asked, sorting through the closet and pulling out what seemed to be Junhyung’s old clothes. “I washed them every once in a while, so they’re clean.”

Hesitating, Junhyung nodded and took the clothes, as well as a towel, from Hyunseung. “Thanks Seungie. I’ll be quick,” he assured.

“You’d better be. We have a lot to catch up on. And Ilhoon needs to know who you are by tomorrow,” Hyunseung reminded. Junhyung sighed, nodding again and going into the shower. He really wasn’t looking forward to revealing his identity to his son.

------------------------

Hyunseung went into Ilhoon’s room, seeing the boy working diligently on his Korean homework, and pulled a chair over. Ilhoon looked up, grinning at his umma before going back to work. This was one thing that made him really proud of his son; Ilhoon was the type to finish all his work before playing. He hardly ever got distracted, and sometimes even got annoyed when Hyunseung was disturbing him. “Ilhoon-ah, what do you feel about Uncle Junhyung staying here?” Hyunseung asked.

At the mention of Junhyung, Ilhoon put his pencil down. “He’s really nice! I like him, umma. Is he really staying here? Forever?” Ilhoon asked excitedly. Hyunseung sighed inwardly, knowing that Ilhoon’s attitude would change immediately once he found out who Junhyung really was. Ilhoon didn’t like anyone to bully his umma, which was a good thing, but not if the person who ‘bullied’ him was Junhyung. Ilhoon was too much like Junhyung in so many ways. Junhyung never liked to see his mother being bullied, either, and was bright and obedient just like Ilhoon was now.

“Only if you want him to. You know umma would never do anything you don’t like,” Hyunseung replied honestly, and it was true. If Ilhoon really didn’t want Junhyung to stay, then Hyunseung would respect his son’s opinion and find somewhere else for Junhyung to stay, at least until Ilhoon accepted Junhyung as his father.

Nodding profusely, Ilhoon exclaimed, “Of course I do! But where’s he going to sleep?”

Hyunseung chuckled. “With me.”

“I thought you said only appa could sleep with you,” Ilhoon mumbled in confusion. “Not that I like appa. He’s mean. He made you cry and he’s never around,” he added, and Hyunseung could hear the resentment in his voice. He looked towards the door, hoping that Junhyung was still in the shower, and sighed softly when he saw Junhyung standing there with a slightly hurt look on his face.

Beckoning the younger male in, Hyunseung turned back to Ilhoon. “Uncle Junhyung and I actually have something to tell you, Ilhoon-ah,” he said slowly, bracing himself for the outburst that he knew would follow their revelation.

“What is it?”

“Ilhoon-ah, I’m actually… your, um,” Junhyung trailed off, unable to find the words. He heard what Ilhoon said about not liking his appa, and he didn’t want to be the one to tell the boy the truth. He nudged Hyunseung slightly, signalling for him to tell Ilhoon, and Hyunseung rolled his eyes.

“Sweetheart, I know you don’t like your appa but Junhyung here, is, your appa,” Hyunseung said.

Ilhoon frowned, his brows knitting together, and he looked back at Junhyung. “You are my appa?”

Junhyung nodded. “Sure am.”

“But my appa is supposed to be a bad person…” Ilhoon said, looking at Hyunseung because he was so damn confused. Junhyung was a nice guy, but then how could he be his appa? For his entire life, he believed that his appa was a baddie who always made his umma cry. Then he looked at Junhyung and narrowed his eyes. “You may be nice to me, but you made umma cry! I don’t like you!”

Junhyung felt like someone stabbed him in the heart. It was painful enough being away for seven years, but he didn’t consider the fact that his son would hate him so much. He didn’t know that hearing his son say he disliked him would be so painful.

On the other hand, Hyunseung frowned and hit Ilhoon’s hand. “Yong Ilhoon, did I not teach you manners? I didn’t teach you to glare at people like that, and I didn’t teach you to raise your voice at others,” he scolded. Ilhoon looked at Hyunseung with watery eyes. He was hardly ever scolded by Hyunseung, mostly because he was obedient most of the time.

“You made umma scold me!” Ilhoon shouted, on the verge of tears. “I hate you!”

“Yong Ilhoon!” Hyunseung gasped in shock, not having expected such words to come out of his seven-year-old’s mouth. Junhyung bit his lip and nodded silently, retreating to the master bedroom so that he wouldn’t make Ilhoon dislike him any more than he already did.

“Ilhoon, honey, that wasn’t right,” Hyunseung sighed, deciding to try and talk his son around. “You shouldn’t have said you hated your appa. Do you know how hurt he must be feeling now? Imagine if I said I hated you and didn’t want you,” he said.

Ilhoon pouted, sniffling and rubbing at his eyes. “But umma, he made you cry a lot. I don’t like it when you cry,” he mumbled indignantly. He understood, after what Hyunseung said, that he probably did hurt Junhyung’s feelings. But he still didn’t like him, because anyone who made his umma cry was a bad guy.

“I cried because I missed him,” Hyunseung pointed out.

“Then why was he gone?”

“He did it so that we’d be safe. I’ll tell you more when you’re older, but for now, please, try to like him a little more. For me? Didn’t you like Uncle Junhyung before you knew he was your appa?” Hyunseung asked. Ilhoon pouted more, but nodded. He didn’t like to upset his umma. Hyunseung smiled. “Thanks baby, you know umma loves you,” he said, opening his arms for a hug. Ilhoon ran right into them, and Hyunseung squished his son before giving him a kiss on the forehead. “Now finish up your work and get to sleep.”

“Ok. Goodnight umma, I love you too,” Ilhoon said, kissing Hyunseung on the cheek before getting back to work. Hyunseung smiled contentedly, glad that Ilhoon would at least try to like Junhyung as his appa for his sake. Now he just had to talk to Junhyung and convince him that all was fine.

---------------------

When Hyunseung returned to his bedroom, he saw Junhyung sitting on the bed and sighing, looking completely listless and just upset in general. He sat down next to the younger male, leaning against his shoulder just like in the past and looked up.

“I talked to Ilhoon. He promised to try to like you as his appa more. He’s just unable to shake off the thought that you’re bad because you made me cry, but he’s going to try,” Hyunseung assured. Junhyung sighed again but nodded in understanding. He couldn’t expect to just waltz into Ilhoon’s life like this – the boy hadn’t ever met him before.

“Did he ever see photos of me before?” Junhyung asked.

“Not really. I didn’t want him to expect to see you, because even I didn’t know if you’d be back,” Hyunseung admitted guiltily. He really did give up hope for a while. Junhyung had totally disappeared and years had passed. Sungjong didn’t want to tell him where he was, and he said that he didn’t know when Junhyung would be able to return. Under those circumstances, Hyunseung couldn’t exactly be pining for Junhyung day in, day out. He had a son to provide for.

“I understand,” the younger murmured. “I just hoped that Ilhoon would accept me but I guess that it won’t be easy for him to get used to suddenly having a father. I never wanted to be like my father but it happened anyway, didn’t it?” Junhyung laughed humourlessly.

“It didn’t. Junnie, don’t ever compare yourself to that guy.”

“I left Ilhoon to fend for himself, just like he did!” Junhyung retorted, voice full of guilt and hurt.

“You left him a mother and got many people to take care of him. You’re nothing like your father,” Hyunseung asserted, giving the younger a tight hug. He really, really missed having Junhyung around. “On another note, are you still my boyfriend?”

Grimacing, Junhyung asked, “Do you want me to be? I left without a word for seven years; I think I don’t deserve to have you as my boyfriend.” It was how he honestly felt and if Hyunseung didn’t want him back, so be it. He deserved it for everything he did in the past.

“Win my heart again. Woo me again. Do it just like you did in the past,” Hyunseung told him. “Just that this time, we’ll be staying and sleeping together. Apart from that, date me again.”

Apart from missing the physical contact, Hyunseung missed the sweet gestures that Junhyung always did for him. Planning dates detail by detail, buying the most amazing gifts for him, doing little things like feeding ducks with him – he missed all of it. Of course there was Ilhoon to think about now, but they’d be able to figure something out.

“If that’s what it takes to make you mine again, I’ll do it. I’ll capture Ilhoon’s heart too. Just you wait, Seungie. I’m going to be a better father than he ever wished for,” Junhyung swore.

Hyunseung smiled and nodded. “That goes without saying. Now let’s get to sleep; I’m sure you’ve had a long day,” he said, already going to switch the lights off.

Junhyung nodded, lying in bed and waiting for Hyunseung to join him. He wrapped the elder in his arms, the feeling so familiar yet so foreign. Hyunseung snuggled into Junhyung’s chest and smiled contentedly to himself. He hugged his human bolster tightly, making sure never to let Junhyung leave his side ever again. He would make sure that the younger stayed this time – forever.

“Goodnight, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

And for the first time in years, Hyunseung and Junhyung slept really, really well.

JUNHYUNG IS BACK HELL YEAH!

It's been seven years, yes, six years timeskip, yes. Am I evil for making him be gone for so long? Also yes hahaha

So Ilhoon doesn't really like Junhyung, which , but he'll warm up to him soon enough! Hyunseung never stopped loving Junhyung and took him right back, so that's good :D

Well anyway I'm planning to finally do KiWoon's bonus chapter since I promised to do it when this fic hit 20 upvotes/20k views and I still haven't posted it, so that'll be up this weekend/next week

That's all from me for now, things are gonna get sweet and fluffy again~ Hahaha ok I'll be going now annyeong~ ^^