(Daehyun's Perspective)

After knocking on the door, Daehyun smoothed down his skirt and took a steady breath. He wasn't excited about spending most of the day with Youngjae's umma, but he was more using it as an opportunity to get a feel for the type of person Hyunmi was. He was all for the idea of Youngjae being able to reconnect with his brother, and he was hopeful that things would go over well on all fronts!

The ideal situation would be that Youngjae would successfully be able to count his brother as part of his life again as well as finally have the support from his parents that he'd wanted for so long...

He put on a smile when the door was swung open. “Good morning, dear! Come on in!” Minjung greeted brightly, quickly ushering him in.

Daehyun made sure his voice was properly prepared for the Daena tone before responding. “Good morning, Miss Minjung.” He followed her in and to the living room to take a seat. 'At least today should be the last time I have to mask my voice like this...'

“I told you that you could call me Umma, dear,” she said, a slight pout on her lips as she settled down on the couch. Clearly where she'd been sitting beforehand since there was already a cup of tea on the coaster on the coffee table.

Daehyun had to keep his eye from twitching as he took his seat in one of the arm chairs. “And I told you that title was only reserved for my Umma,” he reminded. Not too harshly, but with enough of a tone that said he wasn't going to budge on this. 'She'll either learn to listen, or she'll have to get accustomed to having this type of conversation repeatedly.'

Thankfully, Minjung caught onto the tone and dropped it. “Hyunmi should be here any minute now,” she declared after sipping away the rest of her drink. As if on cue, there were a few sharp knocks on the door. “That must be her now! I'll be right back!” Minjung carefully set her cup back down before getting up and quickly leaving the room to answer the door.

Daehyun took a few breaths in preparation after watching her leave. All of his knowledge on Hyunmi mainly came from Youngjae, and that information was seven years old at this point! Time changed people. A fact he was well acquainted with. 'For better or worse depending on the situation...' He bit the inside of his cheek, barely registering the menial welcome chat coming from the doorway. 'I guess I know both sides of that coin. Hopefully Hyunmi's time away was a for better situation.'

When he registered the footsteps and looked up to see the two ladies appear in the archway into the sitting room, he put on a smile, stood up, and bowed politely. 'Keep the voice masked, don't give any indication that I'm not what I appear to be... Until Youngjae gives the clear.' “Good morning,” he greeted as cheerily as he could muster.

The lady Daehyun assumed to be Hyunmi responded promptly. “Good morning.”

When Daehyun had first pictured her in his head based on the three instances of her being in the photographs he'd barely observed of her on the Yoos' wall, he expected her to be more svelte. Even with the knowledge that she'd been a top notch tennis player before graduating. Not once did he expect she'd be the type of lady who was so muscular that her arms and legs looked like they'd burst the seams on her sporty attire! With her hair pulled tightly and meticulously into a bun, she looked more ready for a jog than the type of day Minjung had planned...

Daehyun had one conclusion. Hyunmi could probably crush a watermelon between her thighs with little to no problem!

Minjung gestured towards him. “Hyunmi, this is Daena, Youngjae's fiancée!” He tried not to feel awkward as he offered a little smile and wave. “And Daena, this is Hyunmi, Youngwon's wife!”

Hyunmi bowed curtly, piercing eyes glued to him. “It's... a pleasure,” she said methodically, lips curling up into a clearly staged smile. He couldn't tell whether he should be intimidated or feel like she was immediately disapproving of him. Well, what Hyunmi thought to be a her?

To be fair, he was also faking smiles today. So they had that in common, at least. He stiffly bowed in return with the quiet response of, “Likewise.”

Minjung's eyes were hopeful as she glanced between him and Hyunmi. She clasped her hands together. “So, now that we're all here, I was thinking-” Her lips pursed as she further observed Hyunmi. “Hyunmi, dear, where's your wedding band?”

The facade Hyunmi had up cracked, and she was clearly fumbling to think of something to say.

'Wait, are Hyunmi and Youngwon... not together anymore?' Daehyun wondered, brows furrowing slightly. Minjung opened to speak, but Daehyun was interjecting before he had any time to think about what he was doing. “Well, you did say we were going to a nail salon today, right?” The two of them turned their full attention onto him, Hyunmi confusedly while Minjung looked on with curiosity. “I should've left my ring at home, too, then. I don't want to risk losing it when they need me to take it off to do my hands.”

To further iterate the point, he slipped off his engagement ring and slipped it into the small inside pocket on the inside of his purse where he kept his wallet.

“Ah, right! You girls are so smart!” Minjung beamed. “Let me go put mine on the nightstand real quick,” she said as she sped away.

Hyunmi blinked after her a moment before bringing her gaze back to Daehyun with an arched brow. “Why..?”

“She really does nose up into things you don't want her to know about, huh?” he answered quietly, the corners of his lips tugged up slightly into a knowing smile.

She stared a few more beats before nodding. “She really hasn't changed a bit,” Hyunmi lamented with a tired sigh, tucking the few strands that hadn't been long enough to make it into her bun behind her ear. “But... thanks. Some things she doesn't need to know.”

Daehyun nodded his agreement, but Minjung was back before he could make any further inquiries. “Now, where were we?” she wondered brightly.

Hyunmi straightened up, putting that facade back up as best she could. “I assume to whatever plans you have for the three of us today.”

“Right, right!” Minjung clasped her hands back together, now sans rings. “What would you two like to do for breakfast?”

Hyunmi took a sharp breath in through her teeth. “I ate on the ride here,” she admitted.

“I thought I told you about going out for breakfast?” Minjung looked over Hyunmi, slightly confused before bringing her attention over to Daehyun. “Well, what about you then, Daena?”

“Youngjae took me out for breakfast before dropping me off.”

“That boy, I know I told him I was going to take the three of us to breakfast first!” she whined exasperatedly.

Daehyun was aware of this. After they'd gotten back in the car from eating and started the rest of the ride, Youngjae had admitted this to him with the explanation that it didn't sit right with him to send Daehyun into a day with his umma without the energy to face it. Something Daehyun was definitely thankful for! 'He probably said something about it so I wouldn't be caught by surprise in this exact situation.' Something else that was also appreciated!

He tilted his head in challenge. “Are you really going to fault your son for treating me kindly?”

That question put an immediate turn on her mood. “What? Oh no!” She held her hands up, waving them a bit. “Not at all! Let me just... I'll whip me up something real quick here, then we can be on our way!”

Minjung scurried off into the kitchen, and Daehyun sank back down onto the couch while Hyunmi found a seat for herself.

If today was going to be full of things like this, it was going to be a long day.

--

Either nail salons had gotten smaller since the last time Daehyun had been to one, or the one Minjung brought them to for their appointment was the one exception. Given that the last time he'd been in one was during high school, it could go either way. Especially since, even with the one fault of one of the three pedicure chairs being broken, it looked like a pretty nice place despite the size!

With only two chairs being available, that meant someone was at the manicure table first, and the person who automatically volunteered themself for that with no question was Minjung.

'Maybe she wants me and Hyunmi to have space to talk with just ourselves?' Daehyun thought as he leaned back and made himself comfortable in the pedicure chair.

The car ride had been quite... awkward. Thick with the tension of two people who wanted to be anywhere but where they were and the obliviousness of the one person who brought them all together. Daehyun had been placed in the front due to having longer legs, and he couldn't help but feel like Hyunmi was staring daggers into his back from her place in the backseat. Minjung peppily trying to piece together conversations on the drive didn't help things.

Daehyun forgot how much getting a pedicure tickled his feet. So to distract from that, he tried not to look down and glanced everywhere but at the lady who was doing her job.

Over at the wall full of nail polish for customers to choose what colour they wanted. He'd chosen a salmon colour for his toes and clear coat for his fingers. A majority of his coworkers that had known him for a while were now aware that he did crossdress occasionally in his off time, but the customers didn't need to know that. So clear coat for his hands was a must!

His gaze wandered over to Minjung, who was happily chatting the ears off of the nail technician t her nails and far enough away for Daehyun to not know a word she was saying. The lady doing her work was smiling on nodding at the words streaming out of Minjung's mouth. Something that likely came with the job since Daehyun recalled the nail technicians at the places he'd went to with Zelo and Umma Choi were similar.

Then he spared a glance over at Hyunmi, who appeared disinterested in the things going on around her and was rapidly tapping a message into her phone. Daehyun looked down at his clasped hands in his lap so he wouldn't be caught looking over at her. 'Maybe I overstepped a boundary earlier?' His head tilted slightly as he gently bit his bottom lip. 'Would she have thanked me if I'd overstepped anything, though?'

Hyunmi's voice brought him out of his thoughts. “So... What is it that you do, Daena?”

A tiny squeak of surprise left his lips, and he turned his head to get her in his sight. A beat of silence, and the mental reminder that it was the Daena side that was responding. “I'm a waitress,” he answered simply. “What about you? What do you do?”

“I teach statistics to high schoolers, and I'm also the school's tennis coach for the girls team.” Her response was proud in tone.

Daehyun nodded his understanding, a mumbled “Got it” barely audible between them. 'I guess that makes sense. Pursuing a hobby as a potential career.' That thought made Daehyun pout a little. 'If I'd done that after graduating, would I be working at a jewelry shop somewhere? Or would I have gone into cosmetology and fashion like Zelo? Maybe I'd be a music teacher?'

Once the tapping of her fingers against her phone stopped, Hyunmi spoke again. “What about Youngjae? What's he doing with himself?”

Daehyun adjusted his feet the way the nail technician was requesting him to before responding. “He's the head baker at a patisserie place. He works the kitchen and trains other apprentice bakers that intern there.”

“A baker, huh?” A smile cracked onto Hyunmi's face with a chuckle. “Can't say I'm surprised. Back in school, if he wasn't at the piano or doing his schoolwork, he was trying to help out in the kitchen or testing his own things.”

Daehyun could picture it clearly. What he knew to be what Youngjae looked like in his teen years fiddling about the kitchen in the same way he did now in their home. Dimpled smile as he presented family with his latest concoction. That mental image caused a larger smile to spread onto his face. “What does Youngwon do?”

“He's the physical education teacher at the school I work at as well as the health and wellness teacher.” Hyunmi switched feet like the nail technician was motioning her to. “On top of that, he coaches the boys soccer team.”

Daehyun had been a bit worried that asking about Youngwon would be a bad idea, especially with the thought that the two of them weren't even married anymore. But Hyunmi didn't seem upset by it. If anything, she sounded... proud of him? 'What even is their relationship dynamic? Is it like how it is for Youngjae and Jaebeom? Or have I gotten the complete wrong idea based on the lack of a wedding ring?'

“So... You and Youngjae.”

He gulped. “Me and Youngjae.”

“How did that happen?”

'Oh, that tone is suspicious! How do I answer?' Daehyun internally panicked. 'Minjung? A mutual friend? More for the truth since Minjung doesn't seem to be paying attention?' Too many options, Daehyun's brain was short circuiting. If he took too long to answer, it'd only seem more suspicious! “Uh-”

“Jaebeom!” Minjung piped up, head turning to into the conversation, but making sure not to jostle her hands any.

Hyunmi pinched the bridge of her nose with a frown. “Jaebeom?” The incredulity in her voice was palpable and made Daehyun shrink back into the chair in discomfort.

He couldn't even say anything because Minjung was responding. While Daehyun never liked it when people answered for him, he took it as a silver lining in this moment. “Well, Jaebeom introduced Daena to us to introduce to Youngjae. So Youngjae thinks we found her,” she explained. “Jaebeom was very insistent on Youngjae not finding out he had anything to do with it, though, so you didn't hear it from me!”

From the corner of his eye, Daehyun watched as Hyunmi pulled out her phone and began rapid tapping out a message. The words she mumbled out through clenched teeth seemed to not get caught by Minjung. But Daehyun caught them. “That kid, I swear...”

He was thankful when the nail technician told him his feet were done and to move over to the available manicure table. Some solo time without the pressure of keeping up a facade would allow his brain to recharge. Minjung moved to the pedicure chair once it'd been properly cleaned, and Daehyun felt like he could breathe. At least for a little bit!

The nail technician gathered her materials, then patted the table. “You said a clear coat, yes?”

Daehyun took the table pat as a cue to put his hands up. “Yes, ma'am.”

“Oh, you have very manly hands,” she mumbled as she took one of them and began her work.

He winced, glad that Minjung and Hyunmi were far enough away to not hear those words. “I just do a lot of work with my hands. That's all.”

Daehyun wasn't up for chatter, so he just calmly let the lady do her job as he took the time to mentally recharge. After all, he still had most of the day ahead of him, and he wanted to be in the proper headspace for it. Messaging Youngjae to get him was reserved for an absolute emergency!

--

If daggers hadn't been stabbed at him from the backseat earlier, they were now! Or at least in the direction of the front seat? Hyunmi could've been glaring at Minjung, and Daehyun wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. All he saw was the piercing gaze when he'd occasionally peek at the rearview mirror! The problem was trying to pick out what that negativity she was radiating was directed at...

How Minjung was even more oblivious to the tension in the car, Daehyun wasn't sure. Then again, most people weren't so tuned into negative vibes like he was. 'Must be nice to live in your own little world like that,' Daehyun mused.

Malls were usually an enjoyable experience for Daehyun. mode with Zelo and occasionally his umma was always a good time! But tailing behind Minjung and Hyunmi was not the normal. It was far from it, and his mind was more closed off to his surroundings in the hopes that blanking out might make things pass faster.

That is, until he registered they were approaching a bridal store, and Minjung looked like she was going for it. Daehyun stopped in his tracks. “I'm not going any further,” he declared firmly.

Hyunmi shot a look at Minjung and stopped, too. It was a look that screamed 'I told you so', and Daehyun could only guess that Hyunmi and Minjung had been discussing this too quiet for his ears to pick up.

“Why not?” Minjung wondered innocently.

“Youngjae and I have told you multiple times that I'm doing my bridal shopping with my family.”

“Well, you're marrying into my family, so that makes us family, too!” Minjung gestured between the three of them. “Certainly it won't hurt to go take a peek at some options? Test the waters?”

Daehyun propped his hand on his hip and frowned. “It won't hurt? Of course it will hurt!”

“No it won't,” she insisted. “Let's just take a quick look?”

“No,” Daehyun denied, hand reaching into his bag to grab his phone. “You constantly disregarding Youngjae's wishes as well as my own hurts, Miss Minjung. And I'm not going to put up with it.” He was just a few clicks away from telling Youngjae to come get him. “I'll call-”

“Wait!”

Daehyun paused and raised a brow.

Minjung pointed at a store across the way without looking. “That store! How about we go there instead?” she suggested. Then as she began walking towards the direction she'd pointed, she grimaced. She'd pointed to an outdoor activity store full of camping gear, hunting and fishing materials, things for boating...

Hyunmi snorted and hid a chuckle behind her hand. “Are you sure about that?”

That grimace told Daehyun she wasn't, but of course Minjung stubbornly insisted. “I'm certain we can find something in there. I've been meaning to encourage Youngchul to get out of the house more anyways!”

Even with that excuse, they didn't stay in there long. Daehyun wasn't disappointed about that, and while Hyunmi was at least interested in a few, very specific things for hiking, the prospect of lunch was a good one. When they arrived in the food court, Minjung decided she'd go up and order for the three of them while Daena and Hyunmi found a place for them to sit.

Seated a distance away, Daehyun sighed and propped his chin in his palm with his elbow braced on the table. “I hope she doesn't try to order more for me.”

Hyunmi raised a brow. “You only asked for a bowl of plain rice. She's probably going to.”

“I ordered what I know is safe for me to eat,” Daehyun pouted. “Places like these put lots of seasoning on their food, and I physically can't handle that.”

“Why not?”

“I'm sensitive to spices and strong flavours.”

“Must be rough being with a Yoo then,” Hyunmi chuckled. “None of them know how to lay off the spices and appreciate food for their natural flavours.”

Daehyun brought his gaze over to Hyunmi instead of Minjung standing in line. “Youngjae's actually very mindful of what flavour profiles I can and can't handle,” he said. “It's just Miss Minjung that's not.”

“That woman isn't mindful of anything but what she and her husband want.” Hyunmi leaned forward against the table. Closer, as if she were about to tell a secret. “Knowing that, and knowing Youngjae, I have my reservations about what's going on here.”

Ah, here it was! Daehyun had been expecting it to be brought up at some point, but he feigned innocence as best he could. “What do you mean?”

“Youngjae's always been at odds with his umma. For as long as I've been around the Yoos, the two of them were always going back and forth about his dating life.” Hyunmi elaborated. “With as much of a fight as he put up, I find it hard to believe that he'd ever give in.”

'Technically, he hasn't... He's just made his umma think he did. How do I explain that without revealing the truth but also without lying?' Daehyun mulled it over in his head a few beats before figuring something out. “Seven years is a long time to put up with it alone. Even the most patient person has their breaking point.”

Hyunmi quirked up a brow. “So you're saying he finally hit that breaking point, and you're alright with it?”

“Don't put words in my mouth like that. Of course I'm not alright with it,” Daehyun retorted, not appreciating the sassy tone he was given. “Youngjae actively avoids his parents because he's so tired of fighting them, and I don't blame him. I wouldn't be putting up with this if he hadn't told me he liked the idea of seeing his brother again. That, and...” Daehyun looked away, mainly to check where Minjung was so she wouldn't into their conversation. He continued once he determined it to be clear, at least for a few more minutes. “I like the idea of him having family that cares about him, you know? He deserves it.”

Hyunmi was silent for a few moments. “I see. I guess we're in a similar situation then.” Daehyun glanced back her way and caught a glint in her eyes. “I also wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for Youngwon wanting to see his little brother again.”

That was a pleasant thought... somewhat. Pleasant that the brothers both wanted to reconnect with each other, but not so pleasant that this is what it took for it to finally happen. “They're both grown. What stopped you two from reaching out to him before this?” Daehyun wondered.

She settled her gaze onto the table and sighed. “Working on ourselves,” she answered before bringing her chin up. “Then when we finally got that figured out, Youngwon was worried Youngjae would be angry at us for being absent for so long. We kept on making that excuse until now. At least with this, we can't back out.”

Daehyun hummed his understanding. “In all my time of time of knowing him, I've never really seen Youngjae angry. I've only ever seen him mad when it comes to Miss Minjung and Mr. Youngchul. And even then it's not... what people usually think of when they think of somebody being mad,” he commented. “So I don't think you need to worry about that.”

Youngjae's anger was something different entirely. He didn't yell, he didn't raise his voice, he didn't throw out insults like he was star pitcher continuously striking out the hitters. Youngjae let his anger build up quietly until the only way he could get it out was through tears. It was a sight that broke Daehyun's heart every time he saw it, and he hoped with all his being that doing this today would help to at least lessen those times when all Youngjae could do was cry it out into Daehyun's shoulder.

“I'll keep that in mind. But for now...” Hyunmi motioned her head towards their chosen food court restaurant, and when Daehyun looked over, Minjung was on her way over. Hyunmi and Daehyun met gazes before nodding their silent agreement that the conversation was over.

At least Minjung hadn't ordered extra food for him like he'd been worried about.

--

When Minjung was pulling back up at her house after the mall trip, Daehyun was feeling the mental burnout. From having to constantly put up with Minjung's stubbornness to his inability to tell whether Hyunmi hated him or pitied him somehow, he was so close to throwing in the towel. There wasn't too much longer until dinnertime, so he planned to try and stick it out for the remaining bit before the boys were allowed to the house.

But then there was an unfamiliar car parked on the side of the road. Something that wasn't questioned by either Hyunmi or Minjung. The house was unlocked, which also didn't seem to bother them. Daehyun, however, was very bothered by these things and followed them in cautiously.

“Youngwon, what are you doing here?” Minjung was standing in the archway leading into the sitting room, hands on her hips. “It's not dinnertime yet!”

'Okay, so the house isn't in the process of being robbed.' That thought calmed Daehyun's nerves minimally. He hung up his bag on one of the hooks by the door and stepped forward just enough to peer over Minjung to see Youngwon lounged on the couch. His nerves spiked again once he saw how Youngjae's brother was exuding an angry type of feeling despite how comfortably he was settled on the couch.

He pulled a key out from his pocket. “I know where you keep your spare key, Umma,” Youngwon sighed. “Couldn't get a straight answer out of Appa, so I figured I'd just come here and get the truth out of you.” Then his head rolled to look at the three in the archway.

That foggy feeling started to clog up the gears of Daehyun's brain with the way Youngwon's eyes were stabbing daggers, and he barely remembered to mask his voice before quietly mumbling out, “I'm going to the bathroom.”

He didn't even wait for a response before carefully making his way down the hall to the room that he knew as the bathroom. Once he'd locked the door, Daehyun braced his palms on the sink and took slow, deep breaths. He leaned his head back so his airway wouldn't be as constricted while his thoughts began to race to the background of muffled words from the sitting room.

'Should I call Youngjae now since Youngwon's already here? Or do I try to hold out until dinner like I originally planned?' he wondered, bottom lip trembling slightly as he exhaled. 'No... No, I should call him now. He warned me that Youngwon was the confrontational type, and I don't want to be confronted about this without Youngjae here with me. At least with Hyunmi, I could be vague. But based on what he said about Mr. Youngchul, Youngwon probably won't accept vague.'

With that conclusion, he coached himself through a few more breaths to calm down the anxiety, flushed the toilet since he'd said he was going to the bathroom, then gave himself a mental pep talk in the bathroom mirror. 'It'll be fine. No matter what happens, nothing will change between Youngjae and me...'

Daehyun's aim was to be quiet as he left the bathroom. Sneak out, get his phone from his bag, then slip out to the back porch so the call wouldn't be disturbed. He successfully managed to get past the archway without being noticed and even had his phone in his hand, ready to sneak past once again to make his call.

He tried not to eavesdrop. But then he heard the words leaving Minjung's mouth, and all the breath was knocked out of him in one fell swoop.

“A strong willed woman like her has actually managed to keep Youngjae in line for once!”

Everything went away. The continued debate between Minjung and Youngwon. The house around him. The fact that he was currently dressed as a woman. Daehyun's mind was transported back many years so he was back in high school and at the dinner table. A rare occurrence throughout his childhood, but Sunhwa was over and the Jungs were expressing their approval of her.

Such a strong willed woman will make sure you stay in line.

So many emotions swirled around in his brain and through his body as it tensed up. Panic. Anxiety. Sadness. Distress. He began overheating, feeling cold sweats. Tingles in his fingers and nerves, ringing in his ears, staticky vision and that vice grip constricting his lungs.

Then it all settled and morphed into one point. Anger. Anger at the memory that resurfaced. Anger that him as Youngjae's girlfriend was being compared to his worst nightmare. Anger that Youngjae's umma would want that sort of life for her son. Anger that Youngjae and his wants were constantly disrespected, and now in such a way...

Daehyun wasn't about to let that slide. “Is that really what you think of me?” he interjected, voice still masked because he and Youngjae promised to confront this truth together and he wasn't breaking that promise. Minjung spun her head around to look at him, mouth agape. Youngwon went to speak, but Hyunmi held a hand up against his chest to stop him, throwing back a look of warning.

Minjung found her words, putting up a smile. “Well, of course! My son doesn't need a pushover for a wife. He needs someone who can make decisions and keep him out of trouble!”

Oh, that only made him angrier! “He's not a child, Minjung! Youngjae is a grown man capable of making his own choices! Shouldn't you want someone who will love him and support him instead of keeping him on a short leash?” Daehyun's voice cracked. “Shouldn't you want better for him?”

“That's not what I meant at all, dear-”

“Well that's how I took it, and it's the biggest insult of my life, Miss Minjung.” The air around him was getting stuffy, clogging up his head. Temperature too high, it was only getting harder to breathe... 'I have to get out of here... This is an emergency! I need... I need...' His fingers clenched around his phone. “I'm not coming back in until Youngjae is here.”

Daehyun spun on his heel and marched out onto the back porch, the cool autumn breeze only minimally helping how heated he was feeling. With the way the dizziness was hitting him in waves, he took a seat on the steps and began mentally coaxing himself through his breathing so he wouldn't hold it in too long or hyperventilate. Both breathing tactics that had made him nearly pass out before back when he was less mindful about it.

He fanned himself with one hand. With the other, he sent a message to Youngjae.

--

A/N:

I don't know what it is about this time of year that makes it so hard for me to write. I did the same thing last year, too. Still trying to decide whether to end this on Chapter 45 or Chapter 46.