Minho groaned as sunlight streamed through the bedroom window, coaxing his eyes open. He knew he should get up but all he wanted to do was sleep. With Christmas approaching in a little more than a month, the orders at his bakery had doubled and he had to put in overtime. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips as he heard the familiar pitter patter of feet approaching his bedroom. The door burst open and Minho instantly shut his eyes.

“Appa,” Yoogeun yelled as he jumped on the bed. Minho didn’t answer, pretending to be in deep sleep, though he couldn’t keep the smile from his face. “Appa, wake up! You promised to take me to the park today! Wake up!”

Minho listened to his son whine for a few more moments before suddenly sitting up. “ROAR,” he yelled. Yoogeun screeched as he fell backwards, nearly falling off the bed. Minho laughed as he scooped him up in his arms and planted a gentle kiss to his forehead.

Yoogeun squealed, squirming in his arms. “Appa, let’s go to the park today.  You promised we would build a snowman!”

Minho grinned at his little ball of sunshine.  He always made sure to keep the bakery closed on Sundays, making sure to have a time set out to just for Yoogeun.

 “Oh did I now?” he asked as Yoogeun vigorously nodded his head in affirmation. “Alright, but first you have to get ready, brush your teeth, and eat your breakfast.”

Yoogeun scrunched his nose as he jutted out his bottom lip. “But I don’t wanna brush my teeth. Can’t I just have breakfast?”

Minho tried to put on a stern face. “You know you have to, Yoogeun. Please do as I say. If you don’t, Santa will put on his naughty list.”

Yoogeun let out a horrified gasp and Minho fought to keep the smile off his face. Yoogeun jumped out of the bed and ran towards the bathroom.

“Wait,” Minho called, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Yooguen paused for a moment before running back to Minho. He stood on his toes and planted a sloppy wet kiss on Minho’s cheek. “I love you, Appa!” he yelled before he ran back into the bathroom. Minho shook his head, smiling as he got out of bed.

Minho yawned and stretched his muscles as he walked into the kitchen. He the stove before reaching for the remote and turning on the T.V. He grabbed a pan and the premade pancake mix from the fridge before getting to work.

“The soldiers, seen in this video—“

Minho’s interest perked as he turned his attention to the T.V. The return of the soldiers had been on national news the whole week. A military unit, which had been missing in action for nearly two years, was found on a stranded island by a pilot who was blown off course. All had returned home safely. The nation was calling it an early Christmas miracle. Minho watched the video being shown of the soldiers returning home. Happy tears were shed and shouts of joy filled the airport as soldiers were reunited with their families. Minho smiled, a warm feeling building in his chest.

“Pancakes,” Yooguen shouted as he ran into the kitchen, yanking Minho from his thoughts.  He ran to the kitchen table and sat down as he eagerly awaited his beloved pancakes. Minho put one on a plate and set it before Yoogeun and sat down in a chair across for him.

Minho watched as his son drowned his pancake in syrup, a small smile on his face. He was lucky to have Yoogeun. He didn’t know where he’d be right now without him. He still remembered the day he had first met him in the park…

Minho pulled his legs closer as he shuddered, tears streaming down his cheeks. It hurt, it hurt so much. It was never supposed to be this way. He had the world at his fingertips and a chance at a great future. How did he sink this low?

“Mister?” a soft voice called out to him. Minho peered through his fingers at the tiny figure before him. A face, much like his own, stared back at him, big brown eyes full of wonder. “Are you okay?”

Minho gave him a wobbly smile as he nodded yes, hands reaching to wipe his tears away. He was stopped by chubby little fingers grabbing on to his long, thin ones.

“Ms. Kim told me,” the little boy said, “that Amma and Appa left me to go to heaven.” Minho’s jaw dropped slightly as he blinked, unsure of what to say.

 “She told me that they went to a better place,” he continued, “but she didn’t tell me I shouldn’t cry. She told me it’s okay for me to cry when I’m sad. You’re sad now too. So it’s okay for you to cry. You don’t have to hide.”

Minho stared at the little boy before bursting into tears. Before he knew it, he was sobbing into the shoulder of a little child, who just gently pat his arm and let the grown man sob his heart out into his gray sweater.

After a few minutes, Minho finally pulled back, wiping at his face with the back of his hand. “Thank you,” he said, offering the boy a small smile.

“You’re welcome,” the boy said, smiling back.

“Where do you live? We should get you back before it gets too dark.”

“I live at the orphanage two blocks down.”

Minho knelt down so he was eye level with the boy. “What’s your name?”

“Yoogeun,” came the soft reply.

“I’m Minho,” he said offering his hand. Yoogeun clasped his hand with his tiny fingers, their warmth heating up Minho’s cold hands.

“Let’s get you home.”

Minho had taken him back to the orphanage but it wouldn’t be the last time he saw him. In fact, Minho visited him almost every day for nearly a month before he made the greatest decision of his life and adopted Yoogeun. He’ll never forget Yoogeun’s shining face as he wrapped his arms around his neck and yelled “Appa! You’re my Appa!” filling Minho with a new sense of purpose and happiness he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Done!” Yoogeun yelled, jolting Minho out of memory lane. “Now can we go?” he asked excitedly, looking outside at the window at the falling snow. Minho smiled.

“Alright,” Minho said as he got up from his chair, “put your plate in the sink and then put your coat on. It’s cold out there.”

Before either could move, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get that,” Minho said but Yoogeun was already running to put his plate in the sink. Minho just shook his head in amusement as he headed towards to the door. He opened it to see a familiar face.

“Ms. Kim!” he exclaimed, “It’s good to see you. Please, come in, its cold outside.”

“It’s good to see you too, Minho,” she said, returning his smile. “How are you and Yoogeun doing?”

“We’re doing great; we were just about to go to the park.”

Minho had always liked Ms. Kim. She was the sweet old lady who ran the orphanage Yoogeun used to live in. She always looked out for him and treated the children as her own. She had been ecstatic when Minho had told her about his plans to adopt Yoogeun. She had overseen all the paperwork and evaluations to make sure it went smoothly.

Ms. Kim sighed, suddenly looking years older than she was. Minho lost his smile as he looked at her with concern. “Is everything alright, Ms. Kim?” he asked gently, placing a comforting hand on her arm as he guided her to sit on the couch.

“No, Minho it’s not,” she said, looking up to meet his eyes, “I’m really sorry Minho, but something unexpected came up and –“

Before she could continue, the door opened, catching both their attentions. A man Minho had never seen before stood there, breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon. Minho’s jaw dropped, words refusing to come out as he had no time to even think. He just stared at the Korean Adonis that had suddenly appeared on his doorstep like an early Christmas present.

“Yoogeun,” the man finally managed to ask, “Where is Yoogeun?”

Minho stiffened, his protective instincts kicking in. “Who the hell are yo—“

An incoherent shout was heard behind him and Minho whirled around to find Yoogeun running towards them. “Wait, Yoogeun don’t—“ Minho tried, but before the words could come, the man fell to both knees and opened his arms wide into which Yoogeun happily jumped.

Minho stared, dumbfounded at the scene before him, his head spinning. The man was crying and Yoogeun was squealing excitedly. Ms. Kim sighed as she rubbed her temples with her fingers.

Minho gripped the arm of the couch to steady himself. Everything was moving too fast. Who was this man and why did Yoogeun seem to know him?

“What,” Minho said softly, “what’s going on?”

The man pulled away from Yoogeun for a moment before picking him up. He leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. Minho’s head snapped to attention, his eyes widening. He unconsciously curled his fingers into a fist.

“Excuse me,” he said coldly, taking a step forward only to be held back by Ms. Kim. Minho ignored her. “Put my son down right now before I call the police. Just who do you think you are coming into my house like this and taking my –“

Minho was cut off again by a hand that was offered to him. The man smiled brightly at him, putting Minho in a slight daze.

“I’m Jinki. Lee Jinki. I’m Yoogeun’s Uncle.”

XXX

Minho rubbed his hands, trying to warm them up. Yoogeun sat next to him, happily coloring the paper placemat. Minho looked the across the table warily at the man claiming to be Yoogeun’s uncle. Jinki returned his gaze with a bright smile and Minho really wants to tell him to stop because it’s distracting.

Yoogeun had been upset that he wasn’t going to be able to go to the park, so they had decided to have lunch and talk at a nearby café to make it up to him.

Minho studied the man before him. He had a handsome face with features that could only be chiseled by God himself. Minho tried not to notice the way Jinki’s firm muscles were straining against his tight shirt. Or the way his sharp, yet beautiful hazel eyes were staring right at him. Or how that big smile was literally blinding him. Or the--

“So, um,” Minho coughed, forcing himself out of his thoughts “I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but…it’s been two years.”

“Ah, yes,” Jinki said, taking a quick sip of his coffee and Minho’s eyes were instantly drawn to the plush lips pressed against the rim of the cup. “I was part of the military unit that was missing in action. I just got back about a week ago. You may have heard about it on the news.”

Minho blinked. “Oh. Oh! Okay, um, wow. Yeah I heard about that it’s, uh, great that you guys made it back home. It, um, it must have been tough all those years. Uh, welcome back.” Minho cursed at himself for stuttering but his ill feeling was quickly extinguished by the soft smile that was sent his way.

“Thanks,” Jinki said softly, “Things have changed, but it’s good to be back.”

Jinki took another sip. “The coffee is about the same. People seem more afraid now. Security and traffic have gotten worse.”

Jinki looked up to stare right at Minho. “The men have gotten more handsome though,” he said, winking at Minho as he grinned. Minho blushed so hard, he was pretty sure he could blend in with the tomatos at the super market right now.

“Appa, look,” Yoogeun said, sticking his picture in Minho’s face. Minho sends a silent thank you for saving him from further embarrassment. “Do you like it?”

“Yes, Appa loves it,” Minho said, smiling down at him, “The colors are absolutely perfect.” Yoogeun giggled behind his hand before going back to coloring. Both men sat in silence, smiling fondly at the little boy happily coloring away.

“When I got back,” Jinki said suddenly, startling Minho, “I was so happy. I was finally going to see my family again. But instead of being greeted by my family at the airport,” Jinki swallowed, “The head commander was there. He told me….he told me that my baby brother and my sister-in-law were killed in a car crash nearly a week after we were stranded and lost communication with the mainland.”

Minho noticed Jinki’s hand tighten around his cup. He tentaviely placed his hand on top of Jinki’s. Jinki’s eyes flickered up to meet his. A moment of silence occurred before Jinki turned his hand around so he could grip Minho’s, intertwining their fingers. Minho tried not to blush again as his gaze dropped down to their hands, refusing to meet his eyes.

“I’m sorry for your lose,” he whispered softly. Jinki just squeezed his hand.

“My baby brother was the only family I had left,” he continued and Minho looked up again. “My father had passed away from a heart attack and my mother from cancer.” Minho could feel Jinki’s grip tighten as he nodded for him to continue.

“When Yoogeun was born, we were so happy. Our family was finally growing bigger. He wasn’t my child, but he sure felt like it. I used to take care of him whenever I was back home from business. I swear, he was just like my baby brother,” he said, smiling at Yoogeun who was shoving pasta into his mouth. “He still is.”

“My world nearly crumbled when I heard that Yoogeun was in the car when the accident happened,” he said and Minho nodded. He knew all the details of the car crash from Ms. Kim.

“But when I found out that he was okay, that he was still alive…I was so happy,” Jinki said and Minho can see the tears of relief in his eyes despite Jinki’s smile. He can’t even imagine the pain Jinki must have been through to come back after years of isolation only to find out your family was dead. Knowing Yoogeun was alive must have been heaven sent for him.

“Thank you,” Jinki nearly whispered, looking deep into his eyes and Minho can’t look away, “Thank you so much for taking care of Yoogeun. Thank you.”

Minho smiled and gave his hand a soft squeeze. He broke their gaze to look down at Yoogeun again. “But of course. I really should be thanking Yoogeun for making me smile for all these years. He’s been  light to keep me motivated to keep pressing forward.”

A pleasant silence overcame the warm atmosphere and Minho couldn’t help but feel happy and relaxed. It was amazing that Yoogeun’s uncle was back. It would be great for him to get to know more about his family and to bond once again with his uncle.

Minho looked out the window. Snow was still falling outside, signaling the coming Christmas season. The scenery outside was beautiful. Today was a good day. Plus he was still holding hands with the handsome man across for him.

 “Minho-ssi,” Jinki said softly. Minho looked up again. “Yes?”

“I don’t know how to say this because I really don’t know how you’ll take it,” Jinki said, taking a deep breath, “I would like to take Yoogeun back.”

Minho blinked, his mouth opening and closing. “Wh-What do you mean take him back? Back where?”

“I mean, I would like to take custody of him.”

Minho’s eyes widened as he yanked his hand away. He pulled Yoogeun into his arms protectively. “You can’t just do that! You’ve been gone for two years. I’ve adopted Yoogeun, he’s my son now!”

Jinki remained calm as he looked him in the eye. “Yoogeun is my blood. I know I haven’t been here for two years but that was under unusual circumstances. I’m very grateful to you for taking care of him, but I’ve missed two years of his life. I think it’s time for him to be with his real family now.”

“Do you think I’d just let you take him away?” Minho nearly shouted. Yoogeun silently stared at the two of them. He had never seen his dad so aggravated before.

“With all due respect,” Jinki began, “he is my nephew.”

“Yeah, well, with all due respect sir,” Minho seethed, “Yoogeun is my son and I am his father. I am his family. If you think I’m just going to give him to you, well you got another thing coming.”

“I’ll take you to court,” Jinki replied, his eyes piercing into Minho’s, refusing to back down.

“Well then,” Minho glared back as he grabbed Yoogeun’s hand as he slid out of the booth, “I guess I’ll see you there. Till then, stay away from us.”

Minho hoisted Yoogeun into his arms and walked towards the doors without another word. “Bye Uncle, Jinx,” Yoogeun hollered over Minho’s shoulder. Jinki smiled and waved back. He would get Yoogeun back by all means. He was his family after all.

Yoogeun turned to face Minho again, smiling as he blabbered about how great his Uncle Jinki is. Minho didn’t hear any of it. He tightened his grip on Yoogeun as he feels the sting of tears in his eyes.

He can’t lose Yoogeun. He just can’t.