Cr : @byJAM96

“It has always been about you. Nothing is more important than you, my baby.

You’re my heart. You’re my life. You’re everything for me.”

– Daehyun –

Present time

                Daehyun’s legs were literally wobbling as he stepped into the mansion-like house that belonged to Yongguk’s parents. Good thing he had a tight clasp of Yongguk’s hand to prevent him from toppling over. This house was three times larger than Yongguk’s, even his old parents’ house was not this big as far as he could remember. It would be really lonesome if he had to live here all by himself.

                Yongguk was leading him to somewhere he didn’t know. The interior was very wide but the many paths were confusing him that he was sure he would get lost without his fiancé’s guide. The older man kept his manners by greeting every housekeeper they met along the way. Daehyun too nodded at them with a shy smile, wondering if they would recognize him as Yongguk’s former housekeeper.

                They finally reached the living room from what he had guessed because of the expensive looking sofas and the large coffee table in the middle. An old woman suddenly appeared behind them, asking for anything she could help them with. Yongguk told her that he wanted to see his mother.

                Daehyun was the one to bring the issue between them. Since he couldn’t decide whether he should really meet his mother in the near future, Yongguk kept convincing him that it was better now than later. He was told not to delay it any longer because of his mother’s health condition. So he agreed, in one condition, Yongguk had to fix his relationship with his foster mother too. And since they had planned to get married, they had to tell her one way or another.

                Yongguk pulled the shorter male towards the sofa. He took a seat on it and Daehyun followed after him. He didn’t know what to expect from this meeting, how it would turn out to be. His mind never stopped thinking about the possible consequences since days ago; what if his mother wouldn’t give her blessing for their marriage, what if his mother disowned him, what if his mother would try to ruin their lives if they could ever get married?

                He had poured all of those concerns to Daehyun one night and though the younger man looked as worried as he was, Daehyun still managed to put a smile on his face, saying they would go through everything together from now on. And they promised to stay at each other’s side no matter what happened.

                Yongguk had his eyes on their clasped hands before moving them towards Daehyun’s face. His lover was blankly staring ahead, seemingly immersed in his own thoughts. He knew Daehyun was scared. The tight grip of his hand was the same he had done when Youngjae had asked him to return home. But he wouldn’t be scared without a solid reason. As of now, he would meet the same person who had kicked him out from Yongguk’s house, the woman who once slapped his face as hard as she despised poor people like him.

                “Hey,” Yongguk called softly, causing Daehyun to jerk his head towards him. “We’ll get through this together, right?” He smiled reassuringly.

                Daehyun breathed out, wearing the same smile as his lover’s before nodding his head. “You’ll stay with me no matter what happens, right?” He asked under his breath.

                Yongguk brought Daehyun’s hand closer to his mouth. “We promised, remember?” He replied and kissed the back of the smaller hand.

                Heavenly warmth began to spread in Daehyun’s chest. For a split second, he forgot where they actually were. But all of his anxiety resurfaced when he heard the clicking of heels on the tiled floor. Both of them turned to the source of the sound. Mrs. Park was calmly making her way towards them but Daehyun stood up in haste, pulling Yongguk along with him. He was obviously getting fidgety and Yongguk tried to sooth him by squeezing their hands together.

                The heels’ sound stopped resonating once the woman stepped onto the carpeted floor. She was only wearing a simple dress but still having this menacing aura lingering around her. She slowly sat down on a sofa across the other two, her head was held up but her gaze was casted to the ground all the time, not even noticing when Daehyun bowed at her.

                “You want to see me?” She asked in a dull tone.

                The air was growing tense among them. A housekeeper came forward to serve some tea for her master and the guests. Mrs. Park promptly lifted the hot cup from the table to take a sip and Daehyun used the chance to look at his lover. Yongguk’s gaze on him was determined, his lips thinned as he tightened the hold on their hands.

                Yongguk turned to his mother at the front. “I have something to tell you.”

                “What is it?” She asked without looking up from her teacup as she slowly placed it back onto the table.

                When the housekeeper had left, Yongguk took a deep breath before uttering his intention. “Mother, we’re going to get married.”

                Mrs. Park’s eyes snapped towards them, causing Daehyun’s breath to hitch. She didn’t look angry or anything. Maybe she was too shocked to hear the news that made her seemed to glower at them. “Are you sure about this?” She asked sternly.

                Yongguk nodded. “One hundred percent.”

                The middle aged woman kept her stare on her son for a moment before dropping it on their joined hands. Daehyun noticed it and quickly detached his hand from Yongguk’s before the man could question it. She then averted her eyes towards him. Daehyun shuddered under her sharp gaze. She let out a sigh while crossing her legs and rested her hands over the top knee.

                “Daehyun-ssi,” She called.

                “Yes?” Daehyun gave an immediate timid reply, surprised to know that Yongguk’s mother remembered his name.

                “Why don’t you introduce yourself,” She demanded.

                Yongguk turned to his fiancé. Daehyun could see the stare Yongguk was giving him from the corner of his eyes and he knew that it was one of his supportive gestures. He gulped down the lump in his throat and began to speak.

                “My name is Jung Daehyun. I’m 31 years old…” He started, forcing himself not to divert his eyes from the woman’s gaze at him. When she remained silent, he took it as a prompt to go further.

                “I work as a cleaner at a company in the morning…” The woman’s expression was still stoic and he had a thought to spill everything since he had got this far. “And I…have a son…”

                Mrs. Park’s face changed in the blink of an eye. “A son?” She repeated in disbelief. “And you’re marrying my son? What about your husband?”

                Daehyun shook his head. Yongguk was about to answer in his behalf but he beat him to it. “We aren’t together anymore. We… we’re never married…”

                “So that child is illegitimate?” She picked up somewhere in between the lines and though reluctant, Daehyun just nodded at her. “How old is he?”

                “He’s turning fifteen soon.”

                “Oh my,” She seemed to be more shocked hearing that compared to their plan on getting married. “You have a child in such a young age while I can’t even get pregnant…” Her head lowered, a bitter smile rendered her red lips.

                Daehyun felt sorry for her. He saw the pitiful look on his lover’s face and he was sure Yongguk’s heart had softened at his mother’s words. The woman didn’t seem disgruntled at Daehyun for being able to have what she couldn’t. She was more disappointed in herself if Daehyun could have a say. So he felt the need to comfort her.

                “I think…” He hesitantly spoke up, gaining both Yongguk and Mrs. Park’s attention. “Our fortune comes in different ways. I got a son who brings me happiness but you got to live in comfort and ease with your deceased loving husband,” He said with a sincere smile before turning to Yongguk. “You’ve also done a great deed by adopting Yongguk and let him have a family in this nice home,” He added.

                Yongguk just stared at the younger man with creased forehead. Somehow, Daehyun had opened his mind by saying the things that rarely crossed his thoughts.

                Mrs. Park unexpectedly chuckled at that. “I sure did…” She nodded, stretching her lips into a forlorn smile. “I’ve always been this cold and strict person. And then I fell in love with my affectionate husband. I wanted to make him happy by giving him a child but I couldn’t,” She shifted her gaze downcast when her eyes were stinging with fresh tears.

                “For twelve years, there were only the two of us. When he said he wanted to adopt a child, I quickly agreed because I would be happy if he’s happy. So when Yongguk came,” She looked up at the said man who was having a confused expression on his face, her eyes were red from holding in the tears. “I didn’t know what to do. I was never good with children, I didn’t have a child of my own,” She shrugged her shoulders, her gaze kept alternating between Yongguk and Daehyun.

                “But my husband did a great job. He was being a great father to Yongguk. So I made him do everything. I told him to buy a new school uniform for Yongguk because it’s worn out. I told him to drive Yongguk to school because I thought Yongguk would be tired of walking and riding bus. I told him to buy a video game for Yongguk because I thought Yongguk would be bored. I told him to bring Yongguk to clinic when he’s sick... I told him to raise Yongguk like our own son.”

                Yongguk was also in the verge of tears because of his mother’s heartfelt confession. “Mother, I didn’t know…” He murmured with guilt.

                Mrs. Park just smiled at her foster son. “You wanted to marry Daehyun even if you knew he has a son, right? What do you feel about the boy?”

                Yongguk gave some thoughts on it for a moment. “It was hard at first. But I think we’ve grew closer to each other and I didn’t know since when that I started thinking of him as my own son,” He admitted.

                She nodded. “I felt the same about you.”

                Yongguk’s mind suddenly became crystal clear. He could see what he couldn’t before. He tried so hard to be a good father to Junhong and hoped for the boy to eventually see him as his own father. But he didn’t realize his mother was doing the exact same thing to him.

                Yongguk got up from his seat and rushed towards the elder. He dropped onto his knees in front of his mother before pulling her into a hug. “Mother, I’m sorry… I didn’t really mean what I said to you the other day. I was angry. I’ve always seen you like my own mother. You’re the only mother that I have…”

                Yongguk burst out his feelings in one breath. He imagined himself in his mother’s place, hearing Junhong say you’re my father was enough to send him flying in the sky. Right now, he wished he could give the same feelings to his mother.

                Mrs. Park returned Yongguk’s warm hug. They had never been this affectionately close to each other and she regretted it so much because it was the best feeling a mother could ever have. “I’m sorry too…son. I should’ve act more like a mother to you,” She apologized genuinely.

Daehyun watched those two from his spot with a content smile. He knew a mother would only ask for their children’s happiness. Seeing Yongguk and his mother like this reminded him of Junhong and himself, his mother and himself. He really missed his mother. He missed calling him mom.

                They pulled apart after a while. Yongguk wiped his tears away as Mrs. Park stood up and started to approach the other man. Daehyun raised his brows quizzically at her but when she opened her arms, he gladly let her embraced him. It felt so warm, as if he was holding his mother again.

                “I’m really sorry for what I’ve done to you the other day. It was so stupid of me to blindly attack you like that. I thought you’re just like any other gold diggers I’ve dealt with before” She said before breaking their hug to hold his hands. “You convinced Yongguk to come here, right?”

                “How did you know?” Yongguk asked back before Daehyun could say anything. He had come to stand between the two.

                Mrs. Park snorted. “Trust me, mother knows best. If you sulk, you won’t give in until I apologize first.”

                Yongguk blushed at that and Daehyun couldn’t hold his laughter. He knew it was undeniably true but in their case, Yongguk was always the one to apologize first, though it took him a lot longer than he should. Maybe Daehyun was in fact even more stubborn than Yongguk ever was. Just take the amount of time he hadn’t return home as a proof.

                “I purposely ignored the fact, just to see how long you’d stay being mad at me,” Mrs. Park added. “But Daehyun seems to affect you in many ways.”

                Daehyun shyly denied it by shaking his head. “I just told him the right thing to do.”

                “And you have also taught me many things, to appreciate everything that I have now and not to judge a person by their standards. The more I get to know you, the more I can see that you’re a good person,” She said before turning to his son.

                “I’m sorry for saying Daehyun’s not our standard. I’m just scared he’ll only go after your money and hurt your feelings. But meeting him like this, he has proved me wrong. If you’re going to be happy with him, then I’ll be happy to see both of you together,” She smiled as she turned to Daehyun again. “I believe you’ll make a good wife to my son.”

                Daehyun returned the same smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Park.”

                “Call me mother from now on,” She playfully commanded.

                Yongguk chuckled looking at the two of his most precious persons. He stepped forward and wrapped both of them in his arms. “Thanks, mother.”

                “I know your mother isn’t that bad,” Daehyun asserted as he was buckling his seatbelt in the car.

                “How come?” Yongguk asked, starting the engine before driving away from his mother’s house.

                “If she doesn’t really love you, she’d never find some women and men to show them to you and let you choose, but drag you straight to your wedding ceremony instead,” Daehyun eagerly explained.

                Yongguk laughed at his adorable wife-to-be. “You’re right. Now the only one left is Junhong, which is a lot harder than my mother.”

                Daehyun chortled and nodded in agreement. “We’ll just have to wait and see about that.”

                “And we will tell your mother too after that,” Yongguk tried to sound as happy as he could when he said that. He really wanted his lover to meet his parent with a light heart.

                “Yeah, we will…” Daehyun muttered with a thin smile and he began to stare out of the window as always.

###

                Yongguk went back to work after he had sent Daehyun home at the apartment. There were still a few hours until Yongguk got out from the office but Daehyun was already bored. He didn’t have anything in mind to fill his rare leisure time since it was always work, work and work for him every single day. So maybe he should do something he couldn’t do before.

                Daehyun thought of cleaning the apartment but he went to Junhong’s room first. The boy was sleeping soundly on his bed, this time without books and papers scattered around him. Daehyun guessed his son was too tired to do some revision right now and the boy would possibly do it tonight.

                As usual, he went around the small room to pick up the shirts and boxers that were tossed on the floor before dumping them into the hamper. Then he stopped by Junhong’s study desk to tidy it up. His eyes inadvertently landed on the calendar again which was stuck to the wall in front of him. There were a couple of weeks before Junhong’s birthday. It’s enough time to suffice his savings that was started a few months ago.

                Daehyun then continued to do the housework from sweeping to mopping the floor, from washing to drying the clothes, from folding the dried clothes to storing them in the wardrobe, cleaning from the kitchen to the toilet. He was drenched in sweat after that, plopping down on the couch in exhaustion. He decided to cool down his body by watching the TV or he could just waste the time waiting for Yongguk to come here again after his work had finished.

                Just when sleep was taking over his fatigue form, he heard knocks on the door. His eyes widened for a second before his lids drooped again. Daehyun let out a yawn, shaking his head to get rid of the sleepiness. He stood up, doing some light body stretching and padded towards the door. The person who he expected to be Yongguk turned out to be someone else.

                Before he could even react, Daehyun was sent flying onto the floor when Seunghyun had hardly kicked the door. The man brashly broke into the apartment, stepping over Daehyun’s small frame which was still struggling to get up with his aching ribs after being slammed by the door.

                Seunghyun stopped in between the couch and the TV, taking a drag of his cigarette before blowing out the smoke. “I’m here for the money,” He announced.

                Daehyun found himself shivering at the cold tone. He managed to gather himself on his feet again with his depleted energy and the pain he received from crashing onto the ground. He looked at the man without fully lifting his head, cold sweats began trickling down his forehead with the other’s presence.

                “What are you looking at?” Seunghyun scowled, causing Daehyun to jump in his spot. “Go get it! Quick!”

                Daehyun started to move in fright at Seunghyun’s order. He hastily dashed into his room to find some money. He didn’t want the older man to follow him and snatched his wallet like the last time although he took the precaution by hiding his savings in another place.

                Daehyun got out of his room faster than a heave of breath. He approached the latter and held out a wad of money to him. “This is all I got. Nothing’s left for me.”

                Seunghyun took out the cigarette from his mouth, followed by a puff of smoke before holding it in between his fingers. His other hand quickly grabbed the bills, counting them all to know the exact amount.

                “Just this much?!” Seunghyun suddenly yelled and Daehyun flinched. “I want more!!”

                The loud roar echoed throughout the tiny apartment. There’s no wonder the door to Junhong’s room was pulled open shortly after that. Daehyun whipped his head towards the click of the door. He almost forgot that the boy was home and he started to panic when his son was charging towards their unwelcomed guest.

                Junhong’s face was red. He was fuming with anger. He reached his father in no time before grabbing the man’s collar. Seunghyun hissed at him, having the same glowering expression. He shoved the money into his pocket to have a tight grip on Junhong’s wrists, trying to pry those hands off him.

                “What are you doing here?!!” Junhong shouted.

                “To get my money of course!!” Seunghyun snapped back.

                Junhong’s words crossed Daehyun’s mind, in which the boy said he wanted to fight Seunghyun. Daehyun didn’t think he could bear to see the consequences if it was actually happening. So he quickly stepped forward, holding both of their arms to stop the quarrel. “No, please don’t fight! Please don’t hurt Junhong!” He pleaded at Seunghyun.

                The older man sent Daehyun a glare. He grunted in irritation before knocking both of the mother and son away from him. Daehyun fell onto the floor again but Junhong managed to keep his balance. The boy immediately ran to his mother to make sure he was okay.

                When he saw those two were busy with each other, Seunghyun used the chance to sneak into Daehyun’s room. He heard Daehyun shouted his name as he shut the door and he quickly locked it. They began to bang the door from the outside but that didn’t bother him from ransacking the room.

                Junhong just watched his mother from behind. Daehyun had pushed him aside when he tried to check on him after noticing Seunghyun had disappeared into his room. Daehyun was vigorously pounding his fists onto the door while calling out the older man’s name but Junhong didn’t know what he should do. His father had always done something like this before and all he ever did was waiting until he came out and left the house.

                Afraid if Daehyun would hurt himself, Junhong decided to tell his mother to stop hitting the door already. But when he was about to go and pull his mother away, the door was suddenly opened by the older man.

                Seunghyun came out with a white envelope in his hand. “What’s this?” He asked while showing the small flat paper casing to Daehyun. “I thought you had no money left!”

                Daehyun’s eyes widened at the sight of his treasured envelope. He wouldn’t mind if the man took everything in his room except for that envelope. He wouldn’t allow it. “No! Give it back!”

                He made a lunge for that envelope, grabbing Seunghyun’s arm in the process but the man brought the envelope higher until it was out of his reach. “You can’t take that! I saved it for months! It’s for Junhong’s birthday gift!”

                It was Junhong’s turn to get shocked. He was totally dumbfounded. There’s money in that envelope which his mother had been saving for months. But it was actually for him so he was not sure whether he should take it back or just let his father have it to prevent his mother from being hurt again because noting was more important than his mother right now.

                “There you go again! It’s always been Junhong, Junhong and Junhong!” Seunghyun fumed. He easily pushed Daehyun aside, holding his cigarette with his teeth to stuff the envelope inside his jacket. Then he streaked towards Junhong before taking the boy’s arm in a painfully tight grip.

                “It’s all because of you! It’s your fault I’m living like this!” He shook the boy’s thin frame, making Junhong winced in pain. “You’re going with me. You’re helping me to make more money,” Seunghyun began to drag his son to the door.

                Daehyun was fast to stop him. He slipped in between them, trying to break Seunghyun’s grasp from his son’s arm. Junhong too was putting all of his effort to pull away from his father.

                Seunghyun halted his steps and turned around. “Stop!” He barked at both of them. His grip was firm on Junhong’s arm though Daehyun wouldn’t give up peeling it off. “Stop it!!” He yelled louder but Daehyun was not a little bit affected by it.

                That’s when Seunghyun lost his patience. He could only think of a hard way to escape this situation. Using his half smoked cigarette, he mindlessly stubbed the burning end onto Daehyun’s forearm, causing the latter to scream in shooting pain.

                “Eomma!” Junhong shrieked seeing his mother jerked away from him. He turned back at his father when the man started to haul him again. “Appa!!” He shouted in disbelief.

                “Shut up!” Seunghyun commanded.

                However, before he could even move a step further, Daehyun reappeared at his feet. The younger man was tightly hugging his leg, begging him to let go of his son. He tried to nudge Daehyun away but the smaller man wouldn’t budge. He rolled his eyes in annoyance before throwing Junhong back into the living room.

                Seunghyun then grabbed Daehyun’s hair, causing the man to let out a piercing cry. He tilted up Daehyun’s head and crouched down to him. “What?! Do you want to go instead?!”

              Daehyun forced himself to shake his head with his eyes shut, making the tears rolled down his cheeks. It was so painful that he had released Seunghyun’s leg to get a hold of the man’s strong hand.

                Junhong’s heart broke at the sight of his mother suffering in pain. He scrambled up to get to his mother. A punch was thrown onto Seunghyun’s face without second thought.

                Seunghyun stumbled back, releasing Daehyun’s hair after taking the blow. The hit didn’t do any damage on him but he was extremely mad that he had no choice but to return it to the boy. He struck Junhong’s head with the back of his hand, sending the poor boy to the wall.

               “Aish! You two are just the same! Always irritating me when I come for a visit!” He ranted, heartlessly staring at the wounded figures curling on the ground whom he had hurt by his own hands.  “Whatever! I’ll come again when the money ran out!” He said before going out of the apartment with more money in his pocket than it should be.

                “Junhong…” Daehyun called when he head whimpers coming from his son. He couldn’t stop crying because of his throbbing head and burnt arm. It was hard for him to move his body in the slightest bit but his son was in pain. He mustered all of his remaining strength to crawl towards the boy.

                “Junhong, you okay?” He asked in concern.

                Junhong who had sunk onto the floor was barely recovering from the hit. His ears were still buzzing and his brain quaked in his skull after his head bounced on the wall. He barely heard his mother calling for him. When he looked up, the older man was already kneeling in front of him.

                Daehyun carefully took Junhong’s face in his hands. There’s blood at the corner of the boy’s lips and the cheekbone was turning reddish. His heart shattered looking at his son’s battered figure. He failed to protect Junhong from the ruthless man. He could only cry harder as he cradled Junhong in his arms.

                 Not long after that, Yongguk finally showed up. He just stood in front of the apartment door for a moment, wondering why it was left opened like that. But both Daehyun and Junhong were clumped together on the floor and he realized something was wrong.

                Yongguk rushed towards the other two and got down on his knees. He was getting extremely agitated when he saw Daehyun was sobbing so hard. He placed a hand on his lover’s back, slowly pulling the small body apart from hugging the boy. He was utterly shocked to see them in a disheveled state.

                “What happened?!” He urged worriedly.

                Daehyun plopped down onto the ground, slightly relieved to know Yongguk was finally here. “Seunghyun came…” He muttered.

                Yongguk’s eyes widened. Blood rushed to his head in severe anger. “He did this you and Junhong?!” He looked at the silent boy whose head was hanging low. He ran his hands over the boy’s limbs first to check for any injuries before carefully cupping Junhong’s face and lifted it. The red liquid and fresh bruise made him gasped loudly.

                Junhong turned away from the older man. “I’m okay,” He sniffled. “But he hurt eomma.”

                Yongguk diverted his gaze towards Daehyun. The younger man was covering his face with a hand as he cried. That’s when he noticed the burnt mark on Daehyun’s arm. He was greatly astounded that he was unable to react. He couldn’t believe something like this would happen to the persons he loved the most. They didn’t deserve this. If only he could arrive a little bit earlier, just by mere seconds, he would never let that man escaped without getting the same amount of pain.

                Yongguk sighed at his useless thought. It was too late to do anything now. He shuffled closer to his lover before taking the trembling figure into his arms. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been here for you.”

                Daehyun fully let his body rested against Yongguk’s safe embrace. “I’m tired…” He whimpered and Yongguk kissed his crown to sooth him.

                The sight of his vulnerable mother made his heart clenched. Junhong held his tears back, wanting to look tough in front of Daehyun. But when Yongguk opened his arm for him, he found himself in need for his comfort. He let Yongguk hugged him while he draped an arm around his mother and cried his heart out.

                “I’m so sorry,” Yongguk whispered with his eyes shut, burying his face in between the two heads as they poured their agony against his chest. He wished he could hold them like this forever, wrapped securely in his arm. He wanted to protect them from every possible danger out there and kept the smile on their faces. He wanted them to be the happiest persons on earth.

###

The fact that you’re exhausted now means that you tried

Everybody knows you tried, everybody knows it’s alright

You get some right, you get some wrong

Even if it’s hard right now, you will be smiling one day

When you fall down, when you get up

Even if it’s hard right now, the day will come

Eventually a day to smile will come

The day you’ll smile will come eventually

Song : Someday by U-KISS

A/N :

Reminder guys, there's a warning in the description. maybe some of you overlooked it I wonder if I should increase its size :\

so I just want to tell you to expect the most cliche thing you could think of to happen from the warning. I don't want you to be disappointed and mad at me by the end of the story >.<

thank you to upvoters, subscribers, readers and comments!!! ♥♥♥