HAPPY TOGETHER

It has been stressful the past few weeks, but slowly, both Minseok and Jongin are adjusting. The most turbulent time is hopefully over now, what with paperwork and organization done and his father's and his stepmother's funeral over. Minseok can't quite recall what he felt when news of his father's death reached him. They have been estranged for years, more so when Minseok came back to Busan after studying in Seoul to find his father having a new woman in his life. He doesn't hate his father, no, although he did find it weird that his father was remarried to a woman so much younger than him; she was just a few years older than Minseok.

With his father's death, there have been quite a few changes. Not only has Minseok become the greatest shareholder and the CEO of his father's company, but he now has Jongin under his wings, too. Who is Jongin you ask? Jongin is the sweetest, cutest two year old half-brother one could imagine, and so Minseok has decided to take custody over him instead of letting some distant relative take care of the boy. Who knows if they will take care of him properly, if they can tend to him and raise him to grow up to a fine young man? Minseok doesn't trust people he doesn't know so well, not even if they are part of the family.

It is now the fourth week of Jongin and Minseok's new life together, the older brother being a CEO and a parent now, working during day and trying his best to get home on time to pick Jongin up from the kindergarten around five in the afternoon.

Minseok is glad that he has found a place close to the company, so it is always just a few minutes of walking there. On busy days he usually goes to pick Jongin up and brings him to the company to work. Jongin would sit in a corner of the room, playing with the few toys Minseok has stationed in his office for times like that, or he would take a nap on the couch.

Today, Minseok is lucky though. He has just finished the project his father had been working on before his death, and so, to celebrate that day, Minseok has let everyone off earlier, including himself. He picks Jongin up then, instead of going for a drink with his colleagues and partners, and takes his little brother out to have dinner at a local family restaurant. It is quite enjoyable despite the stares he gets being a bit unsettling. He should be used to them by now though. After all, a young man taking care of a child is a rare sight with clear role divisions between genders still existing in this rather conservative society. Minseok sighs.

Jongin, on the other hand, is anything but frustrated. He is happily clapping his hands when he is given a pororo plushie, a free extra that comes along with his baby menu, and that makes Minseok smile, feeling a bit less guilty for neglecting his brother the last few weeks. Jongin doesn't seem to be upset and Minseok can only thank the heavens to have such an uncomplicated baby brother to tend to. It is probably because of his quiet, but cheerful personality that Minseok has grown so fond of Jongin after the second or third babysitting session when Jongin was even younger than now; he has yet to see Jongin throw a temper tantrum.

🚼

It is around seven when Minseok and Jongin are home. Jongin has fallen asleep right after dinner, and Minseok is grateful that his father has left behind a car, too. He has driven them both home and is now carrying Jongin in his arms. Minseok chuckles, even as Jongin drools on him, but what is more important? A baby's peaceful slumber or a fitted business suit? Surely not the latter.

Minseok has refused to live in his father's villa. He is still living in his small apartment that is big enough for him and Jongin to live. It feels more comfortable than living in a huge house with just a toddler, especially when Jongin likes to crawl and walk everywhere his hands and feet bring him. That is not too much of a problem in a small apartment like his where he can keep a close watch on Jongin even while working. They can still move back to the Kim’s mansion later, once Jongin is a bit older. And maybe by then, he might have found another person to complete their little family.

Living in an apartment complex, Minseok is bound to pass by a few neighbors, and this time, with Jongin in his arms, he would very much like it to have a neighbor help him opening the door, since holding Jongin with just one arm doesn't seem very secure, even if it’s just for a second. But when the elevator door opens, in exactly that moment, the door next to his apartment closes after a tall and lean male carries a box inside. Minseok has been half a minute too late, or else he could have asked his new neighbor for assistance.

🚼

Per tradition, Minseok's new neighbor comes to greet him with rice cakes. What he hasn't expected, is to find said new neighbor to be his ex-boyfriend, the one he has been dating during college days in Seoul. It is rather awkward for the both of them since neither has expected to meet the other ever again, and although Minseok wants to shut the door and close it right into the other's face, he can't. Not when Jongin screams in glee and runs towards the tall boy, hugging his legs.

Sehun squats down to ruffle through Jongin's hair then, offering the toddler a rice cake he takes out of the box. Minseok can only sigh inwardly and watch, hoping for the encounter not to last too long. His heart is beating faster and it hurts. He rather not thinks about his past relationship, one that has once made him feel like the happiest person on earth until they broke up. Until today, he still doesn’t know why.

Jongin has taken the rice cake in his little hand by now, refusing to let go of their neighbor when Sehun gets up and attempts to leave after he has given Minseok the box of rice cakes.

"Hey kid, I need to go home now," Sehun chuckles, but Minseok can hear the uneasy tone underneath. He just knows Sehun too well, and even after years of not seeing each other, not contacting each other at all, he can still read Sehun like a book. Sehun might have grown taller, more handsome, more mature looking, but deep inside, Sehun seems to be the same, insecure child.

"Jongin," Minseok calls his brother, but the toddler shakes his head, now clinging to Sehun's leg with his sticky hand as well.

"Jongin!" Minseok shouts and his brother looks at him with teary eyes, already sniffing.

"Shhh, it's okay, kid," Sehun says and bends down to pick Jongin up, apparently uncaring that there is a rice cake glued to his pants' leg.

"I'm so sorry," Minseok apologizes. "Usually Jongin listens well. I don't know why he's not listening today."

Sehun just gives him a smile, as cute as ever, and it gives Minseok a hard time, because he could fall in love with Sehun all over again, just because of one pretty little smile.

"It's alright, hyung. Don't scold him too much. After all Jongin is just two, three years old at most?" Sehun’s gaze is inquiring and curious, and Minseok can guess that the other wants to know more about Jongin and his current situation. After all, the other doesn’t know about Minseok’s father passing away and leaving him a little brother to take care of. With no explanation though, Sehun might think it’s Minseok’s child, and he wonders if he should tell Sehun, but decides against it after all. They are just neighbors now. There is no need for him to tell Sehun all about his life.

"Two and a half, but that doesn't make it okay. Jongin needs to learn what is okay and what isn’t. I'm sorry for your pants. I'll wash them and return them tomorrow," he finally manages to say.

"It's alright, hyung, really," Sehun replies, attention focusing back on the child in his arms, currently patting Sehun's cheeks with both his hands. Minseok cringes, because he remembers that one of the tiny hands must still be sticky from the rice cake, so he steps closer to take a struggling Jongin back into his own arms, refusing to let go because he doesn't want Jongin to latch on Sehun again. An awkward silence follows, save for Jongin's cries of protest, his small frame wiggling and squirming to free himself from Minseok's grip.

"Well," Sehun starts. "I just came by to say hello to all my neighbors. I didn't plan on staying this long. Sorry for the disturbance. See you again some time."

Minseok wishes he could say that, too, saying that he hopes for them to meet soon, without being insincere, but after Sehun breaking up with him, he can't bring himself to say that, opting for a curt nod instead. He closes the door when Sehun turns around, ignoring Jongin's wails, because he can already predict that his baby brother has taken a liking to their new neighbor. Unfortunately though, he needs to make both Jongin and himself forget that there is this perfect existence right next door. He hopes it won't be too difficult to erase the knowledge of Sehun living next to them.

"You think he's perfect, too, huh?" Minseok asks Jongin, but the child is sulking and ignores him.

"I guess that's a yes."

🚼

It is Sunday afternoon. After a whole week of rain, it is finally sunny and warm enough to spend some time outside again. Minseok doesn't need fresh air that much, if he was honest. Work at the company is tiring, so he wouldn't step outside if he was just living on his own. Since he has a little child living with him, things are different however.

Jongin has been squirmish, watching the rain with his big eyes every day, whining, because he wants to be outside and build sand castles at the local park. Minseok has had a hard time trying to console the boy when Jongin kept pointing to his toys and then to the window, his eyes accusing, as if it was Minseok's fault. It is not. If Minseok could control the rain, he would stop it so his precious baby brother could go outside and play to his heart’s content, only letting it rain at night for all the dust and dirt to be washed away so the mornings would be and smell fresh.

Minseok is sitting on a nearby bench, watching with hawk eyes as Jongin starts to fill his toy bucket with sand. It is cute how focused Jongin is, dedicating his everything to his task when his sand castle will most likely be trampled on by some other child or washed down by the rain and disappear by the next day. Nonetheless, Jongin keeps building with such a determination that warms Minseok's heart because really, who could leave such a precious being alone in this cruel world? Minseok could never abandon his baby brother, not for anything in this world.

He smiles when Jongin waves at him. But then Jongin is standing up and running, and Minseok is a bit confused as to why the boy would do so. There is no dog chasing him, and if there was a dog, it was usually the other way round - Jongin would chase the poor thing, no matter how big or small it was.

Minseok is alarmed when Jongin trips and falls, most probably scraping his knees and palms in the process. And when Jongin starts crying once he sits up, that is when Minseok runs to cradle the boy against his chest, trying to comfort him.

"Shhh, it's okay Jongin. You'll be okay," he whispers, but Jongin doesn't want to listen. Jongin is wailing loudly, squirming in his hold, and so Minseok has to let Jongin down on his own feet or else people might think that he is hurting the boy. After all, the sight of a single parent is still very new to people in this nation, especially when it is a single father. It is usually women who take care of young kids, not the men. What if they think he is trying to kidnap Jongin, or worse, what if they think of him as a e?

When Jongin is standing on his own two feet again, his arms flail and he starts walking again, his steps hurried while he yells some gibberish that Minseok does not quite understand. It is only when he looks further into the direction where Jongin is heading to that he realizes what is going on. His brother has spotted Sehun and recognizing their neighbor, he wants to play with Sehun now.

Sehun looks a lot like a deer caught in the headlights the way he stands there. He doesn't move until Jongin is clinging to his leg again, his eyes boring into Minseok's all the time. Only when Jongin demands to be picked up does Sehun move. He carries Jongin over to Minseok, but when he tries to hand the boy over to his older brother, the child tries to fight against it.

"Play!" Jongin says. "With Nini. Play."

"I'm sorry," Minseok apologizes, trying to somehow win his little brother over but not even the sight of candy can bribe him now. Jongin has set his eyes on Sehun, apparently, and he demands Sehun to play with him. Sehun just chuckles and reassures that he was just taking a walk for some fresh air, and thus Sehun has some time to spare. Sehun doesn't mind playing with Jongin and entertaining the child for a bit.

Minseok is still unsure about that offer, only reluctantly agreeing, but a moment later he watches with astonishment as the other male sits next to Jongin in the sand box, ignoring the fact that he is getting sand on his designer jeans. Sehun just plays with Jongin as if he was another three year old with the only difference that he doesn't look like a three year old and he doesn't speak like a three year old. Like that, the picture Minseok has in his he