sorry that I took this forever to be done :(

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“Welcome back, Howon-ssi,”

 

Howon turns around only to be felt something stirs in his chest again. He didn’t remember when he saw the wide smile for the first time but what he knew it has been months since he saw the wide smile appeared in front of his eyes. He looked up – realizing that he had his eyes on the latter’s plump lips for minutes and when their gazes met, the latter’s eyes turns into crescent moon-shaped which made something in his chest stirs again for the second time of the day.

 

But what shocked him is that Hajin is sleeping on the latter’s lap.

 

“Dongwoo-ssi?”

 

Dongwoo smiled as he waves softly so that Hajin won’t wake up, “Hi. We meet again today after few months, eh?”

 

“What are you doing here?” Howon bluntly asked, not even noticing that his blunt (or harsh it sounded in Dongwoo’s ears) question has wiped off the wide smile across Dongwoo’s face.

 

The living room suddenly filled with awkward silence. Not from Dongwoo but from Howon himself. He just realized that the wide smile across Dongwoo’s face was not there anymore and he just realized that his blunt question probably sounded harsh in Dongwoo’s ears. Stupid mouth, Howon groans silently.

 

“I—I’m sorry,” Howon apologized, “I didn’t mean to sounded—harsh but it’s—“

 

Dongwoo chuckles softly, “I knew, Howon-ssi. You don’t have to apologize. I knew what you were going to ask,”

 

That surprised Howon. It’s not that he’s surprised with what Dongwoo has said but what surprised him is that Dongwoo is still be able to keep the smile across his face eventhough it doesn’t look like it actually belongs on his face. Howon raised his eyebrow as he watches the way his son stirs in his sleep.

 

“I was just dropping by as my mom asked me to send some cookies that she has made this morning,” Dongwoo continues – fingers slightly brushing against Hajin’s brown hair, “And also, since she got angry at me because somehow she found out that I didn’t contact you.”

 

Something clicked in his mind. Ah yes, we didn’t exchange our contacts, Howon nodded to himself. He took a glance at the latter who is now smiling to himself as Hajin shifted his position and buried his face in his stomach – and Hajin’s cute behavior brings a smile across Howon’s face.

 

“When did he fall asleep?” Howon breaks the silence around them.

 

“I wasn’t sure but I guess it has been almost for 2 hours,” Dongwoo shrugged and runs his fingers through the little boy’s brown hair.

 

“2 hours? That long?”

 

Dongwoo nodded, “Why?”

 

Howon awkwardly scratches the back of his neck, “Well, aren’t you tired just by sitting like that with Hajin sleeping on your lap?”

 

The latter chuckled and then he shakes his head as a sign that he’s not tired at all. He even said that he liked it when Hajin is acting so comfortable around him and it surprised Howon again. Because Hajin usually doesn’t get comfortable around people that he hasn’t meet before and Hajin also would usually stick around his mother or his father if some guests were staying in their house.

 

“This is weird…”

 

“What is weird?” Dongwoo’s question snapped him into reality.

 

“Oh, nothing,” Howon simply replied and stepped forward, “Come, let me carry him to the bedroom.”

 

Seeing Dongwoo suddenly froze on his spot, he quickly stepped closer, carefully lifted Hajin up and carries the little boy in his arms. A small smile appears across his face when the little boy mumbling something that he couldn’t catch it – and it suddenly reminded him of his beloved wife. The small smile disappeared.

 

He made his way towards Hajin’s bedroom – not even noticing that Dongwoo quietly followed him behind. It took him few minutes to lull the little boy back to his sleep and when he has finished, he finally noticed another presence in the room. He looked up only to found that Dongwoo is standing in front of Hajin’s room.

 

And when Dongwoo noticed that someone is watching him, he averted his gaze on Howon – slightly blushed when the latter is looking at him and he quickly shows Howon’s bag that he has been holding before.

 

“Oh,” Howon got off from the bed and made his way towards the latter, “I’m sorry. The bag must be pretty heavy, right?”

 

“No, it’s not,” Dongwoo smiles, “It’s not heavy at all.”

 

Without saying anything, Howon grabbed the bag and not even noticed that their fingers brushes against each other which made the latter backed away with slight blush on his face in response. The latter looks away when Howon’s eyes landed on him. Howon raised his eyebrow.

 

“Are you okay, Dongwoo-ssi?”

 

“Ah y—yes,” Dongwoo stuttered and mentally scolded himself for that, “I’m okay!”

 

Howon shrugged and leaving them in awkward silence again. Meanwhile Dongwoo, who realized that there’s nothing left for him to do in Howon’s house, he decided to leave. So, he slowly excused himself which made Howon’s eyes landed on him. He almost stuttered when excusing himself because ugh, Howon’s eyes on him are making him almost breathless.

 

“Have a good rest, Howon-ssi,” he bowed his head a little before taking a step backward.

 

“Wait, Dongwoo-ssi,”

 

The latter looks at Howon who is now trying to say something. He raises his eyebrow.

 

“What is it, Howon-ssi?”

 

“Well,” Howon places his hand on the back of his neck and rubs on it awkwardly, “If you don’t mind, would you like to exchange our phone numbers?”

 

The latter was trying so hard not to bursts into a wide grin but he failed to do so because he’s already having the wide smile across his face when his eyes met with Howon’s and how embarrassed Howon looks like right now. He grins to himself.

 

“Sure!” Dongwoo chirped happily and Howon couldn’t help but bursts into a small smile as well.

 

With their number saved in each other’s phones, Dongwoo finally excused himself with a wide smile that Howon slowly finding himself wanted to look at the wide small for the next time when they meets.

 

 

Have a good sleep, Howon-ssi! :)

 

Howon raised his eyebrow in confusion but then he broke into a small smile. It was Dongwoo. He can imagine how happy the latter is when sending the text. Howon isn’t the type who will reply other people’s texts to him but this time, his fingers spontaneously pressing the buttons on his phone and in within seconds, the “SEND” button was pressed.

 

It’s only 8:30 P.M and you’re telling me to have a good sleep? Isn’t it’s still early for that?

 

And the reply was the longest reply that he had ever typed to anyone else in the past few years. Howon is amused at himself. Yes, he’s really amused at himself at how he replied Dongwoo’s text so spontaneously. He was in a deep thought for few minutes before he snapped into reality when his phone vibrated.

 

Hehe, sorry Howon-ssi! That was because I’m going to sleep now so just thought that as my goodnight text! 

 

“Who’s that, dad?”

 

Howon startled, almost jumped from his seat, “Hajin! Don’t come in just like that! You startled me!”

 

Hajin pouted, “I’m sorry, dad,”

 

Howon smiles and ruffles Hajin’s hair before pulling the little boy to sit in between of his legs. He kissed the top of Hajin’s hair and buried his nose in the brown hair. Hajin, who seems to be really enjoyed of his dad’s affectionate towards him, hummed a song as he leaned on Howon’s chest.

 

“Was that uncle Dongwoo?”

 

Howon froze for a moment but quickly gave a response so that Hajin won’t be able to jump into any conclusion, “How was he?”

 

“You know you should answer me first, dad,” Hajin turns around to face Howon with a putting face but then he bursts into a wide smile, “Uncle Dongwoo is nice! I like him!”

 

Seeing at how Hajin talks about Dongwoo with a happy face made Howon’s chest tightened. It’s been awhile since he saw the happy face of Hajin and seeing Hajin’s happy face, right now, in front of his own eyes, made his chest tightened. He missed the little boy’s happy face when talking about something. He missed how the little boy’s eyes sparkling when he’s talking about something that he likes.

 

Seeing it happened again in front of his eyes, it’s a feeling that he couldn’t describe by words. Oh, how he wanted to keep that happy reaction forever on Hajin’s face.

 

“Do you want to meet him again?” Howon asked in the middle of Hajin’s words, making the little boy stopped talking for awhile and stared at him.

 

“Will you let me to do so?”

 

Howon smiles, ruffling the little boy’s brown hair, “As long that it will make you happy, pretty boy,”

 

Maybe it won’t be too difficult, he silently thought as he saw at how Hajin bursts into a wide smile across his face – for Hajin’s happiness and for the smile that stays on Hajin’s face.