With the early morning sun filtering in gently through a nearby window, Jaejoong cuddled deeper into the crisp, white and inviting bedding of his large four-post bed and sighed deeply. He was exhausted. He had stayed up late to deal with some last-minute issues with his latest manuscript and didn’t end up getting into bed until well after three in the morning. While this was pretty normal for Jaejoong, opting to do most of his work in the late evening and night as to leave time to spend with his precious son during the day, even he knew that his lifestyle was taking a toll on his body and his mind. Last night, a perfect example of his sleep-deprived condition, he was once again tortured with another string of terrifying nightmares that kept waking him up over and over. The sad thing was that all he could remember was being afraid. He could never recall what happened in the dream or what made him so petrified. Only the feeling remained.

Rolling onto his back, amidst his sleep-induced haze, Jaejoong smiled gently as his subconscious mind flashed an image of the man he had met in the park the day before. To say that Jaejoong was struck by the man’s chiseled features, broad shoulders, and endearing smile wouldn’t even begin to do justice to the way he felt. Even though their first meeting hadn’t started out pleasant, Jaejoong had liked him from the moment he saw his face. He was handsome, kind, and caring, and yet also a little brooding and mysterious. Jaejoong could tell that there was more to the man than just the outward persona he tried to project and that interested him even more. There was a connection there, he was sure he felt it, but Jaejoong wasn’t sure what kind of connection it might be just yet.

Suddenly, without warning, Jaejoong’s mind was jerked out of his interesting thoughts as the feel of someone tugging on his arm registered within him.

“Mama?” came a soft and sweet voice.

Jaejoong groaned softly, wanting to stay in his dreamlike state for a little while longer.

“Mama…?” questioned the voice again.“It’s time to wake up.”

Reaching up and draping his arm over his eyes, Jaejoong moaned once again with an irreverent sigh.

“Mama?” questioned the little voice as the child reached up and tugged on Jaejoong’s white pajama sleeve. “Please…?”

“Ok…Binnie,” answered Jaejoong with a sigh as he slowly opened his eyes and let them adjust to the sunlight in the room.

“What time is it?” he questioned almost immediately as the memory of Moonbin’s playdate flickered across his mind.

“Seven,” answered Moonbin with a smile before he chirped. “Time for breakfast.”

“Here Mama…” added Moonbin as he tugged on his mother’s sleeve once more.

Peeking out from underneath his arm, Jaejoong suddenly got a face full of white. Reaching out with his other hand, he grabbed the sweet child’s arm and pulled it away from his face to see what in the world the little one had in his hand. As his eyes finally focused in on the pretty white daisy looking back at him, he immediately smiled and then frowned.

“Binnie…” sighed Jaejoong disappointingly.

“What Mama?” questioned Moonbin cutely. “You don’t like it?”

“You know I love it, baby,” answered Jaejoong as he dropped his arm from his eyes and looked at the saddened and worried look upon his unbelievably caring son’s face. “But you know you’re not supposed to pick the flowers in the window box.”

“But it’s your favorite flower Mama.” sniffled Moonbin brokenheartedly. “You looked sad when you were sleeping earlier.”

“I just wanted to make you happy again.” added the little darling as a sneaky tear streaked down his cheek. “You’re so pretty when you’re happy Mama.”

Sitting up in bed, Jaejoong smiled at his son brightly and tried to placate the child with an understanding nod. Reaching out and grabbing the little darling by the waist, he pulled the boy up into his lap. Moonbin immediately squealed in delight at his mother’s movements and settled comfortably in his mother’s lap with a smile.

“Here Mama…” offered Moonbin once more as he showed the beautiful white daisy to Jaejoong again. “I hope you like it.”

“Thank you Binnie.” smiled Jaejoong as he plucked the flower from his son’s chubby little fingers and smelled the flower that had no scent. “It’s lovely.”

“I really love the gift,” added Jaejoong as he pulled the flower away from his face and wrapped his arms around the little boy in his lap. “But, you have to promise me that you will leave Mama’s daisies in the window box from now on.”

“Flowers last longer if you let them grow where they belong,” added Jaejoong. “So let’s not pick them ok?”

“Sorry Mama…” smiled Moonbin halfheartedly. “I won’t pick them anymore, I promise.”

With a sweet smile, Jaejoong nodded at his adorably cute son and couldn’t help but feel proud of him. Though there were times when Moonbin didn’t listen to him, where he acted out, he instantly knew that this time was not an act of defiance but out of love. He just wanted to make his mama happy.

“Are you hungry sweetie?” questioned Jaejoong lovingly.

Moonbin immediately nodded cutely.

“What do you want for breakfast?” asked Jaejoong. “Cereal?”

“Yuk!” answered Moonbin, crinkling his nose in disgust.

“Ok…so no cereal.” nodded Jaejoong playfully. “How about rice and vegetables?”

“Mama…” Moonbin whined as he crinkled his cute nose even more.

“Ok…no rice and veggies then…” teased Jaejoong gently.“How about leftover curry?”

“MAMA!” whined Moonbin, completely aggravated by his mother choices for breakfast, as he crossed his arms across his chest and looked disapprovingly at Jaejoong.

“Please…” begged Moonbin, immediately pulling out the cutest, most adorable begging face he could muster.

“Alright.” laughed Jaejoong in resignation. “Pancakes and eggs, it is.”

“YAY!” cheered Moonbin as he jumped off his mama’s lap and started bouncing around the room.

Climbing out of the bed and slipping on his slippers, Jaejoong traverses his moderately decorated bedroom and walked into the short hallway that led towards the living room. Making his way to his small but clean kitchen, Jaejoong flipped on the coffee maker and set to his task while Moonbin watched happily from a nearby bar chair. In minutes, the quaint kitchen was filled to the brim with the smells of brewing coffee, browning sweet pancakes, and sizzling bacon. Turning from the stove and digging into the refrigerator, Jaejoong grabbed a carton of eggs and a gallon of milk. Closing the door with his hip and setting the ingredients on the counter, he looked at his beloved son sitting happily across from him and smiled.

“How do you want your eggs this morning Binnie?” he questioned.

“Beat ‘em up Mama,” answered Moonbin with a smile as he clenched his fists and mimicked a boxer fighting an opponent. “Beat ‘em up good.”

“Scrambled it is then.” chuckled Jaejoong.

“Binnie?” added Jaejoong as he dropped a pat of butter into the warm frying pan before him. “Go and get your clothes ready for the day, while I finish up making breakfast, ok?”

“Ok, Mama,” answered Moonbin as he jumped off his chair and bolted towards his room.

“Slow down before you fall down!” advised Jaejoong, a little worried at his son’s excited pace.

“Sorry, Mama!” called back Moonbin from down the hall.

Turning off the stove a few minutes later, Jaejoong plated Moonbin’s food and set it out on the bar. Pouring the little one a medium-size glass of milk and then placing it on the bar beside the plate, Jaejoong sighed as his stomach began to growl. Turning from the counter, he reached up in a cabinet and plucked out a coffee cup. Pouring himself a cup, and after adding a little sugar and cream, Jaejoong took several large swallows of the warm liquid in hopes that it would settle his angry and deprived stomach.

“You’re not going to eat Mama?” questioned Moonbin a minute later as he climbed back into his chair and noticed only one plate of food on the counter.

“Mama’s not hungry, baby,” answered Jaejoong as he turned and smiled at his son.

“Mama should eat,” grumbled Moonbin softly as he picked up his fork and played with his poor mutilated eggs.

“Daddy! Daddy!” cried out Seungwoon as he bounced up and down at the edge Yunho’s bed. “Time to wake up! Time to wake up!”

“Seungwoon,” groaned Yunho, from underneath the covers, as his son’s impatient cries pulled him out of his restful slumber. “it’s too early.”

“It’s not too early!” answered Seungwoon with a defiant stomp of the foot. “It’s only eight!”

“Get up Daddy,” ordered Seungwoon as he took a step, grabbed the blanket, and tugged it away from his father’s face.

Peeking out from behind his heavy eyelids, Yunho looked at his adorable son’s happy face and smirked.

“Your playdate isn’t for another few hours.” offered up Yunho knowingly. “You know?”

“I know, Daddy,” answered Seungwoon with a roll of the eyes.

“Then why are you up so early?” questioned Yunho as he fully pulled the covers back and sat up in bed.

“I want cereal,” whined Seungwoon. “I’m hungry.”

“Then ask Mr. Moon to get it for you,” replied Yunho as the thought of his driver popped into his head.

“He’s not here,” whined Seungwoon. “‘member he’s on a trip.”

“Vacation.” thought Yunho. “I forgot.”

“Ok, ok.” smiled Yunho as he tossed the covers off his legs and slid to the edge of the bed.

“Yay! Cereal.” cheered Seungwoon as he followed in behind Yunho as they made their way to the kitchen.

“All finished?” questioned Jaejoong as he looked at Moonbin’s now empty plate.

The little darling just nodded with a smile before taking drinking the last of his milk.

“Ok.” smiled Jaejoong as he reached out and picked up the plate and utensils and put them in the sink.

“I need a bath.” declared Moonbin as he put his glass on the counter.

“You’re just going to get dirty again.” teased Jaejoong.

“Ma…ma…” scolded Moonbin playfully. “That’s against the rules.”

“No going outside without being clean and dressed well.” recited Moonbin confidently.

“Alright, alright.” conceded Jaejoong with a smile and a wave. “Let’s go get cleaned up.”

“Daddy,” whined Seungwoon with a drawn-out tone as he sat on the living room sofa and called for his father –his impatience mounting. “Hurry up.”

“Calm down Seungwoon.” chided Yunho as he stepped from the hallway fixing his tie. “We still have plenty of time.”

“No.” disagreed Seungwoon. “We’re going to be late. I want to see brother.  I want to see Mama Jae. We can’t make them wait, Daddy. We have to be there on time.”

“We won’t be late,” answered Yunho with a disbelieving chuckle. “It’s still half an hour till your playdate and the walk to the park only takes five minutes.”

“We’re gonna be late,” whined Seungwoon impatiently.

Traversing the room with a deep sigh, Yunho stopped before his son and knelt down. As he searched his son’s face, he could see how much his son liked Moonbin and Jaejoong and that new-found attachment worried him a bit. For the last year, Seungwoon had been a quiet, reclusive child. He rarely talked to anyone or played with anyone, but now all of a sudden all of his thoughts were full of his friend and his mother. Yunho wasn’t sure why Seungwoon felt so strongly about them that way but he could tell that he only had two choices: encourage his new relationship with his new friends or try and create some distance before things got out of hand. Even though he truly felt that he should protect his son from getting hurt, that feeling was overwhelmed by the happiness he saw in his son’s face when he talked about or thought about Moonbin and Jaejoong.

“Alright.” conceded Yunho with a smile. “Grab your bag and get your shoes on.”

“We’re going?” questioned Seungwoon, his face brightening up immediately. “Now?”

“Yes.” chuckled Yunho as he reached out and ruffled his son’s hair. “Now.”

“Yay!” cheered Seungwoon ecstatically as he dramatically jumped off the couch and ran to the door.

“Come on Daddy!” squealed Seungwoon as he grabbed his bag and slipped on his shoes quickly.

With the exception, of his young son’s overzealous giggling, the walk to the park was quiet. It was early summer. The trees and flowers were in bloom and the sound of birds filled the air with songs that Yunho had long since forgotten. For the last six years, his life had been so hectic that even the simplest of pleasures: a quiet walk, a gentle breeze, a beautiful avian song, had all but escaped him. There was just so much to do and so little time. His work had always taken up too much of his time. He worked long days, and even longer nights, with no time to just sit and relax. His life became so completely centered on his career that he never thought to make time for his friends or even spend time with his family.  

Seungwoon’s mother, a woman he had been forced to marry five years ago, had always harped on the fact that he was never around, never available to spend time with them, but Yunho hadn’t cared. He hated her. He felt as if his parents had trapped him in a life he didn’t want and there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn’t happy and instead of dealing with that unhappiness, he buried himself in his work. Work became life and life became work. He was so wrapped up in his career that even when his precious son was born a few years ago, he wasn’t even there for his only child’s precious day. To him, the child was nothing but a reminder of his unhappy life and he wanted nothing to do with him.

It wasn’t until a little over a year ago that Yunho finally realized what he was doing was wrong. It wasn’t until she left like that, that Yunho finally realized his life really consisted of something much more than just work. With her gone, he was now a single father left to raise a child he had avoided as much as he possibly could. That realization, the realization that this precious life was now completely and fully his own responsibility snapped Yunho out of the pit of self-pity that he had wallowed in for so very long. With a newfound desire to rectify his misdeeds of the past, Yunho made a dramatic decision that would not only affect his financially but his life personally. He was going to make time for his son every day, no matter what, and if he had to take fewer hours at work to accomplish his goal of being the best father he could for his son he would. He had to rebuild the trust that should have been built so long ago between him and his son and he was going to show Seungwoon that he loved him for the first time in his life. The transition was hard, going from not caring at all to caring almost too much, but in time Yunho found a balance between his hectic job and his son and found a way to be the daddy he had dreamed he would be when he was young and unaffected by life’s hard lessons.

Even with the trauma of his wife’s departure from their lives still eating away at them little by little, Yunho refused to let that sorrow weigh them down. He wanted Seungwoon to have a normal happy life but he knew that no matter how much effort he put in, the little boy would always feel a bit lonely. He tried his best to comfort his son but there would always be a whole that Yunho would never be able to fill, no matter how hard he tried, and he knew that. When Seungwoon suddenly stopped talking almost a year ago, Yunho knew that the young boy had been deeply affected by his mother’s departure and tried his best to reassure the child that their lives would be happier someday. But, even Yunho didn’t know when that someday would come.

With the events of yesterday still playing around in his mind, Yunho couldn’t help but smile a bit. To say that he was shocked beyond all measure to hear his son call out another person’s name would be putting it lightly. The strange man, who for some reason was being referred to as “Mama”, had somehow managed to make Seungwoon more relaxed. It was surprising to Yunho. A stranger he had never met, in the course of just a few hours, had somehow managed to break down that wall that the little boy had been keeping up towards everyone, even him. Yunho was unsure about the whole thing. It seemed almost too coincidental like there was something sinister at play here, but after talking to his son last night and hearing from his precious child’s own lips how great, kind, and nice Jaejoong was, Yunho couldn’t help but feel a sense of trust in the man.

He had seen it too. Those kind eyes that seem to radiate love so unbelievingly comforting that you wish you could bathe in it for the rest of your life. A voice, so soft and caring, that the world seemed like a place of peace and joy. And a smile, so lovely and reassuring, that it instantly made you want to smile in return. His beauty rivaled only by his kind heart had struck Yunho deeply. He had never seen someone so fair and lovely. He had never seen someone whose outsides mirrored their inner heart so succinctly.

“Daddy!” exclaimed Seungwoon as they rounded the corner of the park and the playground came into view “They’re already here!”