^ super relevant ^

warnings: some adult themes.. like drinking and stuff. also key and woohyun. just them being on this chapter needs a warning.

so this chapter is super late (like a week late but that's still super late) but that's because this chapter was, originally, longer than it is. also we're working on two chapters now, so the next update will be much quicker and... i mean. yeah. enjoy! c:

Sunggyu wakes up in a room that isn't his.

It's strange because he hasn't ever slept anywhere but his own house, on his own bed, for many years. The last time he's ever found himself waking up in an unfamiliar setting was roughly a few months before his son was born, and that was because he and his wife had gone somewhere. With those times long gone and a little boy to love and nurture, he never found a reason to be anywhere but where he needs to be. So where exactly is he?

He gets up quickly and immediately regrets it; his head is pounding and throbbing with a distinct ache. His whole body seems okay, but he feels stiff in his joints. The room is bright with sunlight, and hot with its heat. Sunggyu's warm from the sheets, but cold with his wrinkled clothes.

“Wait a minute...” Sunggyu looks down and runs his hands down his chest, observing himself. He's still wearing yesterday's work clothes; his faded blue button up, his gray slacks. His burgundy tie and his gray vest lay discarded on the floor, by the foot of the bed he's on, and he wonders why.

Then he's looking around again.

The room is... Well, it's strangely put up. Sunggyu thinks who ever normally sleeps here doesn't even care about how it looks. Or maybe they do, in a strange and sort of “hipster” like way.

The walls are a dark green, with an old oriental rug hanging off to one side. The furniture, much like the flooring, are mostly wooden and almost ancient in its unkempt condition. However odd, the antiquity of things is aesthetically pleasing, but nothing Sunggyu would associate with.

Speaking of which, he would never associate with the large, tacky, tie-dyed cloth hanging from the ceiling, either.

There are decorative records on one side of the room, where stacks of books and guitars lay under. In the middle of the room sits one leather armchair, faced towards the bare windows. Scattered around the floor, along with pieces of the previous day's work clothes, are various types of books and records. Sunggyu finds himself scrunching up his nose at the sight. How untidy.

But then he notices the bed he's on. It's a strangely arranged bunk bed with navy blue sheets. The blankets and pillows have moons, stars, suns and planets on them. Did he sleep in a kid's bedroom? He couldn't have had. The furniture and books don't seem to belong to children. Perhaps they belong to a childish person. That made more sense.

Sunggyu looks up to see that the room is actually open. The room had no door, the homeowner or homeowners instead opting for another tie-dyed cloth. It's slightly translucent, and he can somewhat see movement from behind the sheer barrier. And if Sunggyu listens closely, he could hear the faint sounds of pans clacking together and the sizzling of something being cooked.

The ache in his head is slowly ebbing away, but not quite. Sunggyu figures he'd been drinking, the night before. He can tell from how his eyesight is blurring slightly, and how badly he smells of liquor. In any case, the thought makes him panic.

What exactly happened? Where is he? Whose house is he in?

Closing his eyes, he inhales deeply. His hands are scratching and scrabbling at the worn sheets beneath him, his chest heaving almost roughly from him trying to regulate his panicked breathing. Sunggyu mumbles to himself, words even he couldn't understand, desperately trying to calm himself and trying to remember what happened the night before.

“You think he's awake?”

It's a grown man's voice. It's one that he faintly remembers hearing once. But when?

“You think I should check?”

The next one... He's definitely heard that voice before. Sunggyu bites his lip and mentally urges himself to remember everything he's ever known and seen. Then it dawns on him.

That voice is Mr. Nam's.

“It's only a weekend. You can have him back on Monday, I promise.”

“It will be good for the both of you. You're always around him, and he's always around you. I know he's got friends at school, but you hardly have anyone else to talk to other than that Howon kid. Besides, when was the last time you went out? It'd do you good to meet somebody.”

“I don't need that. I need Myungsoo, and he's all I'll ever need.”

“None of that. I know it's tough, but isn't it about time you start anew?” There was a pause, “This is not what Sujeong would have wanted. She would not have wanted you to spend the rest of your life in silent misery while you raise your child alone. She definitely would have wanted you to move on with your life and be happy. Do you think isolating yourself and focusing on solely your son is anything like what she wished for?”

“What... What are you trying to say?”

“We're saying that you should let yourself spend a few days away from your boy. Think about what you want in life. Think about letting someone else in, for a change. While that's happening, Myungsoo will be spending time with his grandparents. Maybe when he comes back home, he could actually see his Appa smiling genuinely.”

“But... I...”

“Just let us have him for the weekend. If you don't want part of anything else, at least let us have some time with our grandson.”

“...”

“We'll take that as a yes. We're coming to pick him up tomorrow, okay? See you then, son.”

...in hindsight, he shouldn't have let them have their way.

“Sunggyu-goon! Drink up!” Sunggyu's friend and superior, Shin Donghee, claps a hand on his upper back and raises what happens to be his fourth pint of beer. Sunggyu's lips twitch into a forced smile, lazily raising his own. Donghee frowns at him. “What? Not in the mood?”

“More than not in the mood, I reckon,” Jongwan, says with a concerned frown.

“He's probably fussing over his kid,” Chorong says from where she's seated beside Sunggyu. She's looking at him while downing a pint like a man would, setting her mug down once she finished. Sunggyu could feel Donghee and Jongwan's impending need to cheer at her amazing talent of chugging, but the situation required that they shouldn't, “Yah, Sunggyu-yah, everything's going to be alright. Chug that pint or I will.”

“Do it,” Another colleague and friend, Park Myungeun, whispered. She sends Sunggyu a guilty look that was quickly replaced by an expression of zero regrets. Sunggyu ends up laughing.

“I'm fine, I'm fine. I just haven't had a drink in a while,” Sunggyu admits. “About seven years.”

“You what?” Donghee sputters, knocking his empty mug against Sunggyu's filled one. “You've got to be kidding me, Sunggyu-yah! Not one sip?”

“No! Why would I, when I was taking care of Myungsoo all the time?” Sunggyu asks scandalously.

“Whatever, that doesn't matter now,” Myungeun speaks up, motioning for a server to give them some more lager. The man nods and quickly produces a tray of bottles of strong lager, quickly making his way down to their table. Myungeun motions for the man to set their drinks down, courteous enough to thank him for his service. Instead of evenly distributing the drinks, she pushes two pints towards Sunggyu with a sweet smile on her face, “While the kiddo's at his grandparents', you should drink.”

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter