Wonwoo: Hmm? Oh shi— are we back?

Mingyu: I think we are… 

Wonwoo: Looking like that?

Mingyu: ><

5 year hiatus, 1 new chapter, lets do this.

*is tired lmao*

 

“Did you want to invite Seungcheol to get ice cream?” Ren asked, breaking the long silence between them. They were resting on the bench, and a lot of time had passed and before they knew it, they had been lost in thoughts about things and didn’t realize it till now. 

 

“Do I have to?”

 

“No, you don’t have to… but if you want to?” Ren replied with a soft smile. Jihoon could tell he wasn’t trying to about it and he really appreciated that. 

 

“I wouldn’t know how to invite him, honestly.” 

 

“That’s okay!”

 

“It would be nice if he came.” Jihoon sighed but then straightened up. “You know, so I’m not the odd one out among everyone else.” 

 

“Of course!” Ren laughed at his expression and tried to think of a way to make it happen. “You know… maybe you can text him that you need a ride home?” 

 

“I could…”

 

“When he gets here, I’ll invite him!” The older said with a cute grin across his lips. Jihoon thought about it, didn’t seem like such a bad idea, Ren’s always been so friendly with others, warm and inviting… he was sure Seungcheol wouldn’t mind if he was asked by Ren. Though, he’d like it if he could be the one to invite him if he were honest. 

 

“That’s okay. I’ll do it.” Jihoon snickered and pulled out his phone. That’s all it took, for Ren to say he’d invite him. A little jealousy won’t hurt now would it. Ren was pleased to know his plan worked and he left Jihoon alone to do his texting business while he glanced around the area. The others should be showing up soon enough. And just as he thought that, in the distance he could see a familiar pair walking up the sidewalk, they were tall and holding stuffed plushies, they looked adorable holding hands and walking close, side by side to each other. 

 

“What a cute couple!” Ren gushed and waited for them to get CLOSER. When they did, he finally recognized them. “Oh, it’s you two!” He laughed. “Wah, you two look so cute together!” 

 

“Thanks.” Mingyu grinned while Won Woo finally showed his flustered and shy self. The younger found it really adorable that Won Woo had a side of him only he could see. 

 

“Where were you just now? Where did you get these?”

 

“The arcade.” Won Woo answered after calming down from his embarrassment. “Great time killer.”

 

“I bet!” Ren laughed. “Did you have fun?” The couple nodded and Mingyu began to tell the story of how he beat Won Woo at basketball hoops SEVENTEEN times in a row. “Really?” Ren seemed disappointed in a teasing way. 

 

“Sometimes you just can’t win.” Won Woo shrugged but his brother could see the adoring smile when he looked up to his boyfriend who was still celebrating his SEVENTEEN victories. What a cutie. Then they heard a car pull up in the distance and they looked over to see it was Seungcheol who had brought the SooHan couple when they requested for a ride, they were done with walking today. Now that Seungcheol was here, Ren stole a glance from Jihoon who seemed slightly nervous. They didn’t expect for him to show up that quickly, he wondered if Jihoon even got the chance to send his text message? Before he could even blink, Minhyun pulled up in his car next. Everyone invited to this little ice cream gathering was here now and Ren was thrilled.

 

“Ice cream, my treat!” He called out. Minhyun, Soo Min and Mingyu cheered and were the first three to rush up to the ice cream stall, despite Soo Min being shorter than the taller two, she was the first to the counter, she must really love ice cream just as much as Choco Pies. Ren made a note of that with a laugh and headed on over with the rest of them. 

 

It was the same clerk from the last two times Ren came to this stall. They were quite curious to say the least seeing Ren arrive with even more people this time around. “Some group you have there.” She chuckled as she processed the total for the ice creams. 

 

“I know.” He glanced towards the others who left to find a spot to eat while he paid. “But I’m happy.”

 

“You sure look it.” The clerk gave him a kind smile. “Enjoy your ice cream!”

 

“Thanks.” Ren took his along with the change and happily made his way over to the group. 

 

After everyone had their ice cream in possession and the bill was paid, they all found a patch of grass to sit in a circle to eat it together. Naturally, all three couples sat beside each other and well, of course Jihoon and Seungcheol would sit together because there were no other options, really, they wouldn’t get in the way of the other couples and they really didn’t want to make it awkward. 

 

“This is nice.” Mingyu spoke up and glanced at the others. “What do we call this? A quadruple date?” Suddenly they could hear Jihoon choke on his ice cream. 

 

“Ah, I guess we can’t!” Soo Min said with a sheepish smile. “Jihoon and Seungcheol don’t have dates.” 

 

“This is a triple date and we’re forth and fifth wheeling.” Jihoon said with a pout. 

 

“Wouldn’t it be seventh and eight wheeling?” Minhyun asked after counting everyone. Two, four, six… eight, who do we appreciate? 

 

“I didn’t think this was really a date, more like a group outing.” Won Woo spoke up to save his friend from the embarrassment. 

 

“I’m sorry!” Mingyu apologized. “I wasn’t thinking when I said it!” The poor guy looked so apologetic and guilty, like a sad puppy.

 

“It’s fine.” Jihoon assured him, he didn’t seem too pissed at least. Maybe he was only pissed that it wasn’t the truth? It bothered him in the sense that he disliked how shy he was about his own feelings, he wishes he was bolder and could tell Seungcheol how he really felt. But even if he did, he wasn’t about to do it in front of everyone like this.

 

“We can just pretend!” Jeonghan teased, his nonchalant look directed at Jihoon straight across from him. He got a glare from Seungcheol and Soo Min nudged him on their behalf. He pouted and held his left side and was dramatic about how bad it hurt. 

 

“I didn’t hit you that hard you big baby!” Soo Min defended herself and earned laughter from the others. 

 

“Won Woo is right, this is more of a group outing!” Ren said shortly after. “I just wanted us all to come and spend some time together before the dinner later.” Now that it was mentioned, the mood started to drop a little, and for good reasons. “Is there anything anyone wants to share about it?” Mingyu raised his hand, as if he was in class and Ren was their teacher. “You don’t need to raise your hand!” He laughed along with the others. 

 

“I just wanted to say that… no matter what the outcome, you four are not alone, okay?” His words were sweet and it definitely touched the four he was talking about. 

 

“Awh, Won Woo, your boyfriend is so cute!” Jeonghan teased. 

 

“I know he is.” Won Woo snickered in reply and looked over to him. “Thanks.” 

 

“Of course!” Mingyu beamed. 

 

“I know it’ll be difficult… should the outcome not be what we hoped for.” Won Woo admitted and his expression started to drop. “I won’t lie to you guys, but I’m scared.” 

 

“Why are you scared?” Jeonghan frowned. They could see Won Woo struggle to put it into words. 

 

“What if…” Soo Min spoke before he could. “What if this dinner does more harm than good?”

 

“You’re all meeting to talk about it, right? How could that do more harm?” Seungcheol seemed a little confused on what the duo were feeling. But Jihoon understood. 

“If there are bitter feelings between our parents… and it’s brought up, it could do harm.” Jihoon explained. “We have to remember, there was betrayal between our parents. We don’t know if they’ve truly forgiven each other yet. Maybe they don’t want to. This dinner was planned so they could tell us the truth, but that doesn’t mean everything will turn out fine and okay. They could simply just tell us the story and leave it at that.” 

 

Silence ensued, a heavy one. Now they were worried. The boyfriends worried about sending off their loved one only for them to return broken-hearted and emotionally pained. Seungcheol worried about sending off Jihoon only for him to return empty and alone… he’s not directly related to the situation at hand, but he’s apart of it because of his relationship with Won Woo and Soo Min, even Ren. They’re like extended family to him, if things were to take a turn for the worst and everyone starts fighting and distancing themselves from each other, he’d feel like his family is breaking up. It would hurt everyone involved.

 

“Let’s say the worst does happen.” Jeonghan broke the short silence. “If your parents don’t want to get along anymore, what do you do?” His question was for the four mainly involved. “Do you… follow suit and break up with your friends too? Or do you accept their decision, but make your own decisions too?” 

 

“Hyung has a point.” Mingyu nodded. “You four have your own choice to make. Don’t let your parents influence that.”

 

“Exactly. As unfortunate as it may seem, I had to make that difficult choice before. It was either my parents, or my girlfriend. Our parents do a lot for us, and we should respect them, but we have our own lives to live too. But don’t worry, I highly doubt your parents would make you choose unlike mine.” Jeonghan snickered and waved his hand dismissively, like it didn’t matter that much to him, but it did and he was hiding it. Those in the know about Jeonghan’s parents felt bad for him, but Ren and Minhyun weren’t in the loop and were a bit confused. Despite that, it was easy to tell Jeonghan could possibly understand how they’re feeling.

 

“If I can be honest,” Soo Min blurted out, “I don’t feel like it’d make a difference anyway, with how things have been lately, our parents haven’t been around a lot. If they really did choose to go their separate ways, nothing would really change much, would it? Other than visiting for holidays and other occasions, nothing would really change?”

 

“We’ve already been on that path already…” Won Woo added on. “It’d only just make it official, wouldn’t it?”

 

“You guys are making me depressed!” Minhyun whined and nearly startled everyone from his outburst. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be insensitive, your feelings are very valid and I won’t tell you you can’t feel that way. But I do want to encourage you guys to be a little more positive, okay? Whatever may be the case, in the end, you have each other, right? It’s up to you guys to make do with what you have.” 

 

“He’s right.” Seungcheol agreed. “Let’s not dwell too much with the negative side of things. It sounds cliché, but sometimes life . You just have to surround yourself with good things to get through it. We’re here for you with open arms, always.” 

 

“Sometimes it’s good to be prepared for the worst, but you should also prepare for the best.” Mingyu said positively. “Maybe things will work out just fine? Communication is good. Perhaps it’ll be a struggle at first, but we all need time when healing, so let’s just be a little more optimistic, sound good?” Thanks to the four wise men(lol) the other four started to agree. 

 

“This calls for a group hug!” Jeonghan grinned and gestured for everyone to join after giving Soo Min a tight hug. Jihoon was embarrassed to join, but Seungcheol who was caught up in the moment, pulled him in and held him CLOSER than anyone else. It made him blush, but thankfully it was hidden from the rest. 

 

When everyone was done being sappy and sentimental, they parted from each other and agreed it was time for the main four to head over for the dinner at Soo Min’s parents house. They said their goodbyes as a group before saying goodbye individually to their boyfriends, Jihoon to his friend Seungcheol.

 

“I know it doesn’t help to say don’t get stressed…” Seungcheol said with a sheepish smile. “But if you do get stressed, remember, you can always talk to me if you can’t talk to the others. I’ll listen.”

 

“Thanks.” Jihoon really appreciates that. “I’ll let you know how it went.”

 

“Even if it’s 3am, text me!” The older smiled brightly and Jihoon caught himself smiling back. “Enjoy the food.” He added and gave a small pat to Jihoon’s shoulder. He turned to leave, but Jihoon stopped him by the arm. He faced him again and was surprised when Jihoon initiated a hug, a tight hug. His face was buried into his chest and he didn’t say a word, but Seungcheol could get an idea of why he was doing it. He wrapped his arms around the smaller and whispered positive words for Jihoon to remember while at the dinner. “Be strong, even if you don’t feel like you can, don’t give in to defeat.” 

 

…

 

“Do you see that?” Soo Min asked in Jeonghan’s embrace. He turned to see Seungcheol holding Jihoon in a bear hug and had to smile. “That’s so sweet~!” She cooed quietly and hugged her own boyfriend tighter. Despite the situation, she felt all warm and fuzzy on the inside to see Jihoon being comforted by someone other than her and Won Woo. He was branching out.  

 

“What about us, hm?” Jeonghan said in a joking tone. 

 

“Don’t even start.” She snickered and parted slightly to look up at him, his arms were still around her waist, her hands were still around his torso. She stood there and looked up at him, as if she was admiring his beauty, but also stalling to leave. He could see it in her eyes. 

 

“Do you need another sappy pep talk before you go?” He teased. She pouted in response, but managed a small laugh too. “The future is unknown and it’s scary… but all I know is I’m going to be here, loving you no matter what happens. You won’t be alone.” 

 

“I believe you.” She said, teary eyed. “I’ll try to be more mature about things this time around.” 

 

“And even if you’re not, I’ll be by your side regardless.” He gave her a sweet smile before leaning in for a quick peck to her lips. “I love you.” 

 

“I love you too.” Her voice cracked with emotion before she buried her face into his chest and hugged him one last time. He chuckled and held her tight and pouted, telling her to not cry or Won Woo will kick his !

 

…

 

“I’m sure she’s just stressed, that’s all!” Mingyu assured a concerned but protective Won Woo, he was looking SooHan’s way and his eyes were narrowed at Jeonghan who gave him a nervous smile and wave while Soo Min cried into his chest. “Though, I’ll admit, your protective side is pretty cute.”

 

“I am not cute.” Won Woo frowned at him and caused the younger to laugh. “I just don’t like seeing her cry.”

 

“I know. I don’t like seeing any of my friends cry either.” Mingyu understood his feelings. “But I suppose is differs when it comes to you and Jeonghan, right?”

 

“I guess so…” he thought back on the argument between himself and Jeonghan a short while ago. I have to trust him a little more… he thought before Mingyu hooked a finger under his chin and made him look up at him. 

 

“You’ll make me jealous if you stare at him any longer.” Mingyu teased. All Won Woo could do was snicker and lightly smack his boyfriend’s hand away. “Who knows what will happen at this dinner, but if you could just promise me one thing?”

 

“What is it?” Won Woo was starting to feel nervous about the dinner, in the worst way possible. He started to worry if he was going to chicken out last second and not even go. 

 

“While it’s important to get the truth, don’t force yourself into stressful situations either, okay? It’s okay to run away if it becomes too much, so don’t feel like you’re being a coward if you must leave. Your mental health is important too.”

 

“Right.” Won Woo understood that. 

 

“If you start to feel uncomfortable and want to leave. Just leave and explain yourself later. You can call me, too. Just take care of yourself, okay?” 

 

“Okay, I will.” 

 

“Good, then I wish you luck, I have my fingers crossed that everything will pan out nicely. Just stay positive.” Mingyu said with a bright smile. 

 

“Thank you.” Won Woo managed a smile back before reaching out to initiate a hug. When they parted, he leaned up to give his boyfriend a small kiss to his lips before chuckling at his surprised reaction. “What?”

 

“I just didn’t think you’d kiss me with the others around!” Mingyu whispered, his cheeks were turning red. 

 

“Why? They know about us. Were you thinking I’d be too embarrassed to?” He could tell Mingyu didn’t know how to explain himself, but it was clear he didn’t mean it in a negative way either. “You’re the cute one here.” He laughed when Mingyu pouted at that, but he didn’t deny it at all.

 

…

 

“They’re so cute.” Ren gushed to his boyfriend. They were in earshot of the other too and couldn’t help but eavesdrop.

 

“But you’re cuter.” Minhyun grinned while holding his lover close. 

 

“I know.” Ren simply agreed and made his boyfriend laugh. 

 

“You heard what Mingyu said, right?” 

 

“Yes.”

“Please remember that too. I don’t want you to stress yourself out unnecessarily. If you need to leave, just leave. Text me and I’ll come get you as quickly as possible.” 

 

“I’ll remember. Thanks. I’ll look out for the other three as well. I’ll put a stop to it before it gets out of hand.” Ren is promising himself that he won’t let anyone get hurt, and he’ll protect them if he has to. Of course, he’ll have to read the situation first before making any rash decisions. He doesn’t want to time out over the littlest things, that would be ridiculous and embarrassing. 

 

“Are you ready to go?” Minhyun snapped him out of his thoughts and he nodded. It was time was now time to part ways with the other three that won’t be attending the dinner. Minhyun will be driving but won’t be attending it either. 

 

They said their goodbyes them and grouped off. Ren, Soo Min, Won Woo and Jihoon left with Minhyun in his car while Jeonghan and Mingyu left with Seungcheol in his car. It was hard not to show their worries and concerns but the others were brave and put on nervous smiles for them. “They'll be okay. Don't worry.” Seungcheol assured his worried friends. “I trust they're stronger now these days.”

 

“He's right.” Jeonghan agreed. “They have us to come back to regardless of what happens.”

 

“Whether the outcome is good or bad… we're here for them.” Mingyu added on.

 

“Exactly. Let's not worry too much, okay?” Seungcheol gave them a warm smile from the driver seat. Jeonghan had gotten into the back seat with Mingyu and didn't realize it until now. But he wasn't and out to change seats and make Mingyu feel rejected. He'd switch seats when they drop the younger off. They were the first to leave and Minhyun started up his car and shortly left after them in the opposite direction down the road.

 

…

 

Quick little insert.

I’ve been thinking and decided to give their parents visuals. 

 

But do note, I’ve only been able to figure out the Trio’s Parents and Ren’s adoptive mother’s visuals, along with Hyungwon’s father and you might see why I included it in the end LOL

 

So meet the parents~! And Uncle Seong~!

(I should give him an appearance in the storyline >.> Whoops, my bad.)

 

Chae KangMin Chae Soo Ah

Married

(Yessssss, the couple from Goblin and Touch Your Heart~!)

Long Hair Short Hair

Kangmin’s Son

Since I mention how Soo Min and Ren look alike, I suppose I should include some sort of reference this time around, even though I like to avoid it so readers can use their creativity to picture the OC’s themselves.

 Small note: Soo Min’s hair is straight, but it was hard finding a picture with her hair straight because in different shots she was smiling or had different expressions that didn’t really show her similarity to Ren. But here’s a suffering Soo Min LOL

 

Chae Seong-Min

(Of course… Mr. Goblin himself~! LOL)

Because of this~! They’ll be brothers hahaha

“Kang, why are you such a hoe?”

LOL

And given Kangmin’s secret affair coming to light and all.. 

These two make a fun pair to write, aka in visualizing at least

Chae Hyungwon

The fashionable cousin, still~! I’m working on how he and his father’s relationship is. 

Will be interesting to write.

Jeon Jin Woo Jeon Hye Won

Married

(Yesss, the Lawless Lawyer couple, HOW FITTING!!!!)

Their Son

HANDSOME BOY

 

Lee Hoon Lee Ji Yoon

Married

Their Son

LOL what are you doing boi?

 

Choi Rina

Ren’s adoptive mother

She’s so cool lol

 

Sorry for inserting this in the middle of the chapter, but I thought it’d be best since the next scene is the family dinner. Happy visualizing~

...

 

It was quiet on the drive to the dinner. Ren sat in the front seat while Soo Min sat in between Won Woo and Jihoon in the back seat. There was a lot on their minds after parting from the other three. They were nervous, as expected. No one knows how this dinner might go. It could go very well or very horribly. And it was hard to imagine what to do in either scenario. If things went well, what next? If things went wrong, what next? Perhaps the easiest scenario to predict was whether they go to L.A or not.

 

“We're here.” Minhyun announced and the thinking four snapped out of it.

 

“Thanks for bringing us.” Ren managed to say quickly and leaned over to give him a kiss goodbye while the trio in the back started to exit the backseat. “I'll give you a call when we're done.”

 

“Sure.” Minhyun gave him a warm smile in return. “Just focus and relax. It doesn't have to be as stressful as you think, okay?”

 

“Right.” Ren slightly frowned. It's easy to say that but honestly… how can he relax in this position? Having dinner with his biological father and his wife along with half siblings he didn't even know existed until a few weeks ago. How his life suddenly changed… and how complicated his half siblings lives got now that he's made his existence known. He does believe everything happens for a reason, even if he might not ever understand why it had to be this way…

 

“Ren?” He heard Soo Min call out to him. He noticed he was still standing on the sidewalk by himself, Minhyun’s car in the distance while everyone else had greeted her parents and Rina at the front door. “Are you coming?”

 

He saw her parents standing at the door watching them. Her mother looked conflicted while their father seemed nervous. This would be the first time meeting them since their past encounters were short and stressful. “Ren?” his name was called again. Oh no… he suddenly felt frozen where he stood. He started to feel like the way he would before when he started crossing paths with both Won Woo and Soo Min. When he'd hesitate and would suddenly be overwhelmed with emotions. He felt like turning and making a run for it before he could start crying. He said… it doesn't have to be this stressful. But he also said I shouldn’t put myself in stressful situations either. Did he have to make a decision now? So early on, too? He’s only at the sidewalk, he hasn’t even entered the house!

 

“Ren!” He felt his sister take a hold of his hand and tug on it to snap him out of his thoughts. “Ren, we don't have to do this… I know we've come this far, I know we don't want to be cowards and flee just because we got nervous and scared but-”

 

“No, no, I'm okay, we don't need to flee.” He silenced her before she could become an emotional mess as well. “I was just having a little moment, that's all.”

 

“Are you sure? I know it's a lot different for you, they're pretty much still strangers to you…”

 

“And tonight, that changes. So let's go inside. We've got each other, we'll get through it together, okay?” He held her hand tight and managed a smile. “Let's find out the truth.”

 

“Okay.” Soo Min was able to calm down thanks to his touch and smile. She felt like he was playing the older brother role quite well tonight.

 

Meanwhile, inside the house, Won Woo and Jihoon observed from the living room window when the two started their way towards the front door. “How are you holding up?” Jihoon asked quietly next to him.

 

“I'm fine.” Won Woo replied in a calm tone. “I've thought about it a lot these past few days… Soo Min is right, if things don't go well, I don't feel like much would change in the end regarding our current state. My parents are overseas, Soo Min rarely visits hers, we hardly visit your parents.  The only thing that would change is gaining Ren and his friends while our parents eventually disappear into the silence, never to be heard again… being worried and scared seems like a waste if it's like that. Like I said, seemed like we were on that path already, you know.”

 

“I left you alone for two seconds...” Jihoon snickered. 

 

“What? It's the truth, is it not?” Won Woo chuckled. “I don't want to think that way… I honestly hope for a good change after this dinner. But it doesn't hurt to also be prepared for the worst, it'd hurt less, right?”

 

“I guess you have a point.” Jihoon had to admit he did. Even if he couldn't imagine things going wrong to the extent of never encountering their parents again… the outcome can't be that bad, right?

 

“As awful as it sounds… one day our parents will pass on and it'll just be us for a short time afterwards anyway. I'm realizing tonight is important. Either we figure this out or we move on to better things… life is short.” 

 

“Who are you calling short?!” Jihoon elbowed him in the side and Won Woo flinched and caved a bit while holding his side.

 

“I think you punctured my kidney…” he muttered out dramatically. Jihoon rolled his eyes and laughed when Won Woo started laughing at his own comment. 

 

“Shall we gather at the dinner table now?” Jihoon’s mother called out from the dining room entrance. 

 

With that, everyone took their time getting seated. There was no special seating order and the quad squad ended up sitting together. They sat across from the parents and suddenly it started to feel intense. “Where is Hyungwon?” Soo Min noticed someone was missing. 

 

“Oh!” Rina gave an apologetic smile. “He and his father are running late, Hyungwon is stuck at a schedule, his father is stuck at work unfortunately, but they said they’d come straight over when they’re done.” She could see Soo Min seemed a little disappointed, but it couldn’t be helped. 

 

There was a long silence that ensued after that and no one was sure who should start speaking first? Or what to say for that matter. “Just… tell us what happened.” Ren spoke softly. “Tell us everything you can.”

 

“Well…” His father started nervously. It was time. He began to explain how it started in high school. He and Won Woo's mother Hyewon were the first to start dating among their friends. It was only two minutes into the story and the four were shocked. That makes a lot of sense now. “Things ended up not working out so we broke up. About a year later I started to date Soo Ah and things worked out. We got married during college and everything was going fine. But then I happened to encounter Hyewon once more and so then the affair happened. I'm sorry.”

 

“Hyewon got pregnant and left to Busan for the duration of the pregnancy. No one knew about it, she was so good at hiding it.” Soo Ah took over to tell this part of the story and already her emotions were surfacing. “I had no idea until years later. I was so shocked. I was hurt… how could my best friend go behind my back like that? How could my husband…”

 

“I'm sorry, Soo Ah.”

 

“Sorry’s not enough, it'll never be enough…” his wife said bitterly. 

 

“Mom.” Soo Min quickly interrupted. “Please don't say that.”

 

“You don't understand!” Her mother blurted out, emotional. This is what Jihoon meant earlier when he said it could do more harm than good. It’s clear Soo Min’s mother is still hurt by the betrayal and hasn’t made peace with it. She hasn’t truly forgiven the two who hurt her, has she?

 

“I don’t think any of us will truly understand how you feel, Soo Ah.” Jihoon’s mother decided to say something. “But I ask you this. Will you hold ill feelings for the rest of your life?” Soo Ah recalled the talk she had with her daughter this morning. Soo Min had said something similar to her. “You’ll never be happy this way.”

 

Rina stepped in to help control the conversation. “It's okay, for many years you've bottled up these feelings… but be careful with your words, you might end up hurting others just as much…” The table became silent again. The four younger adults couldn't make eye contact after that. The atmosphere was incredibly tense… things were going horribly wrong now, just like they feared.

 

“Mom, if you dislike it so much, why don't you just divorce dad?” Soo Min blurted out moments later. “If you can't trust him anymore, why are you still with him?”

 

More silence.

 

Her father felt an ache in his heart to hear his daughter say such a thing. He really messed up and it would haunt him for the rest of his life, wouldn’t it? “Listen. If it's going to be like this, what's the point? If we're not willing to accept and forgive, what's the point of staying together if we secretly hate one another?” Won Woo broke the long silence and earned a few stares from the parents. “If you won't accept Ren and forgive his parents, then I don't want to be a part of this family anymore.”

 

“Me too.” Soo Min calmly agreed and avoided looking at her mother’s wounded expression. Her daughter was disappointed in them, and it hurt. Soo Min thought after the talk with her mother this morning, things would have gone better. I was lied to again? She thought, recalling how her mother promised to be more understanding and forgiving. “Tonight was supposed to be about learning the truth, forgiving and moving on. This was supposed to bring us CLOSER, but I see now how foolish I am to think it'd be that easy.”

 

“Maybe it's too soon.” Jihoon interrupted. “Maybe this needs time.” Despite how disappointed he was, he didn't want everything to completely derail and become an even bigger mess. “Healing takes time… let's just… take time to heal.”

 

“Jihoon is right. The truth is out and so are the old feelings. It's been a secret for so long… of course it won't go so smoothly. Please don't take it to heart… we're all hurting in some way.” Jihoon’s father pointed out and it seemed to resonate with everyone at the table. “Betrayal between lovers, siblings being separated, kids being left in the dark, it's a lot.”

 

“It's rocky now, but it can settle in time. Can we be patient?” Rina asked the four with a sad smile. She didn't want it to be this way either. She was just as disappointed as they were. They silently nodded. “Good, then we're all on the same page then.” More silence ensued. “Now… how about dinner?” She added on and got up to head to the kitchen. Jihoon’s mother got up to help and the two of them escorted Soo Min’s mother to the kitchen as well. The two fathers were left and the atmosphere remained tense and awkward. 

 

“Are you kids alright?” Jihoon’s father asked after a moment. “I know it’s a lot to take in…” none of them really knew how to respond. Do they lie and say they’re okay? Or do they tell the truth and say they’re not okay? Does it really matter anymore?

 

“Soo Min, sweetie…” her father called out. Soo Min didn’t want to look up at him, but she did so anyways. “I’m sorry.” 

 

“I know.” She said softly. “I forgive you.” She truly does. She won’t hold his past against him.

 

“And Ren.” He looked to his son. “I’m sorry.” 

 

“I forgive you too.” Ren managed to stay calm, but he could cry any second now. Despite the fact that he still doesn’t know his father personally, he could tell he was genuine about his apology. 

 

“Won Woo, I’m also sorry.” He owes him an apology too.

 

“I forgive you.” Won Woo wasn’t sure if he was feeling numb to everything right now, or if this really wasn’t bothering him as much as the other two. It was hard to figure out, but he didn’t want to dwell on it too long. 

 

“Jihoon, I’m sorry to you and your parents…”

 

“I forgive you.” Jihoon assured him. 

 

“I forgive you, too.” Jihoon’s father patted the older on his back. “It’s just a shame your son couldn’t be with us all these years. Something was always missing, but now it feels complete, wouldn’t you say?” He smiled at the younger four. “We should get together more often and make up for lost time.”

 

“Sounds like it could be fun.” The other father agreed. “Would you be interested?” He asked them. “We could go camping or something?” He still looked guilty, but it was clear he was doing his best.

 

“Oddly enough, that’s how we bumped into Ren in the first place.” Jihoon pointed out. 

 

“Well… we are going to L.A for fall break. Why not start there?” Won Woo suggested. “Ren could meet our mom and meet my dad.” 

 

“You’re going to L.A?” He asked his son. Ren simply nodded. “That’s good. Then we shall do something fun together, okay?” Ren gave a nervous smile and agreed. He hoped meeting his mother would be as easy as meeting his father. But he was sure Won Woo will be with him, just like Soo Min is now.

 

Thinking about his siblings, he took a moment to check on them. He could see they were calm but silent. He understands, what do they say now? They’re only in the first stage of things, so he’s trying not to have such high expectations right now. His father decided to continue small talk with him and asked about how life was in Busan? “I heard you and Jihoon were friends for a while before he moved to Seoul.” 

 

“That’s true.” Ren answered. “Busan wasn’t the same without him.” He added with a weak smile and glanced to Jihoon who looked his way upon hearing those words. 

 

“Well, given your sister has a boyfriend, how about you? Do you have a girlfriend I can meet?” He could tell his son hesitated on answering that. “No?”

 

“I have...someone.” Ren said softly. He's not sure if Rina has told him about Minhyun? Maybe not if he's asking about it himself, right? The question now, will his father reject him for being gay? He suddenly felt pressured to answer.

 

"Maybe you're going a little too fast, Kang. You have plenty of time to get to know your son after this dinner." Jihoon's father spoke up with a sheepish chuckle and patted his friend on the back. He could sense Ren was having a difficult time answering that question.

 

"That's right, I'm sorry, Ren." 

 

"It's okay, no worries." 

 

"Is everyone ready to eat?" Rina's voice chimed in when she returned to the table with a tray of food. The other two mothers followed shortly after with the rest of the food. It was like a feast when it was all set up on the table. It was hard to ignore the growling noises coming from everyone’s stomachs and it gave them a good laugh. They dug in quickly.

 

…

 

Dinner had gone somewhat smoothly after the talk, once everyone was calmed down emotionally. The atmosphere was still a bit tense, Soo Min's mother barely spoke through the whole thing, her father too. Jihoon's parents and Rina mostly held up the conversations between the younger four. But Soo Min as well barely spoke. Like mother like daughter. She barely touched her food and only poked at it and pushed it around her plate. Eventually, she excused herself to the bathroom, her stomach was bothering her and she wanted to get away for a moment to collect herself.

 

She spent too much time away from the table that Rina had come looking for her. "Are you alright?" She was clearly worried. Soo Min didn't speak, but nodded and looked up at the pictures hung up on the living room wall. There were pictures of her family, and her family with Won Woo's family when they were younger. Eventually Jihoon's family showed up in the pictures later on as they got older. They seemed happy back then and it was bittersweet. Look at them now? Why all this drama?

 

Suddenly, Soo Min felt dizzy and nearly lost her balance. Rina was quick to reach out to help her stand. "Honey, are you sure you're okay?"

 

"I just need to lie down for a minute." Soo Min muttered and made her way over to the couch to do just that. She would have went upstairs to her old bedroom, but it was probably too risky to be walking up the stairs when she was feeling dizzy. Jiyoon happened to come look for them just then and Rina asked her to get a cool rag for Soo Min, she had checked the girl for a fever and she was pretty warm to the touch. She must've developed a fever from all the stress. 

 

Jiyoon returned a moment later and knelt down by the couch with a sad puppy dog expression. She felt so bad for the girl. She gently brushed Soo Min's bangs away from her forehead and placed the cool rag on it. Seeing Rina and Jihoon's mother watching over her suddenly had her tearing up. What about her own mother? Why are they taking care of her, but not her own mother? "Don't cry, it's okay." Jiyoon her hair for a few seconds before realizing why she was most likely upset. 

 

They left her alone so they could go to inform her mother about her condition. "Your daughter needs you." Jiyoon said with a sad smile. They could see their friend hesitate, but it was clear in the end she was definitely worried about her child by the way she quickly left the room.

 

"What's wrong?" Ren asked when he noticed. They had been distracted with conversation between the two dads and the other boys to notice Soo Min had left the table.

 

"Don't worry about it." Rina assured him. She knew the last thing Soo Min wanted was for everyone to pile into the living room and worry about her. 

 

When Soo Ah knelt down next to the couch, she checked the rag on her daughter's forehead and noticed it wasn't cold enough. She quickly took it and left to run it under some more cold water and came back to place it on her forehead. "Are you in any pain?" She asked softly and her daughter slightly nodded and pointed to her stomach. "A tummy ache?" Her daughter almost laughed at the way she said it, she was talking to her like she was a toddler. Her mother just pouted.

 

"Mom? Can I ask you a question?" She asked softly.

 

"Sure. Go ahead." She nodded and rested her hand on her shoulder.

 

"How do you know if you're…" she trailed off and wondered if now was a good time to ask? She said she'd make time to figure out the whole pregnancy test, but she could just ask her mother for advice, right? Even if the talk at dinner didn't go as great as she hoped, she understood that her mother's feelings are valid. And she'll heal eventually, it'd just take time. Soo Min didn't want that to get in the way, so she thought to make the effort to communicate with her mother.

 

"What is it?" She snapped her back to reality. "How do you know if you're?"

 

"Nevermind, I forgot." She chickened out. Thinking about it now, she'd probably just freak her mother out if she even asked how to know when you're pregnant. 

 

"It's okay, just rest." Her mother said softly and her hair. It brought back old memories from when she was a child, how her mother would stay by her side when she was sick often. It seemed like that all changed when they got older and she started to see less and less of her mother. She really missed out on a lot of mother daughter moments during her teen years. Seeing how beautiful her mother was with her style of clothing and jewelry, her make-up and stylish hair… she wondered why she never got the chance to bond with her mother over those things. Is it my fault for not reaching out more? For not trying?

 

Just then, her father came into the living room, worried. “Did something happen?” He asked. She saw her mother avoid his eyes and assure him that their daughter was fine. She grabbed the rag off of Soo Min’s head and excused herself so she could go run it under more cold water. “Are you sick?” He asked while walking over to kneel next to the couch. 

 

“I don’t know.” Soo Min muttered. “My stomach’s been bothering me, that’s all.” 

 

“Stomach bug or something?” She simply shook her head. “You feel nauseous?” She nodded to that. Before she didn’t feel much of anything, just a loss of appetite, but now she was starting to feel sick. “Wait… are you pregnant?!” He blurted out with wide eyes. It was the first thing to come to mind when she answered to being nauseous.

 

“Who’s pregnant?!” A voice asked at the front door. It was the fashionably late uncle, Seongmin. 

 

“Pregnant?!” Her mother exclaimed while rushing over and pushing her husband out of the way, knocking him down onto the floor. “Are you pregnant?!” She asked her daughter, mainly concerned. Soo Min froze up. She didn’t plan for this at all. 

 

“N-No.” She managed to say in an innocent tone. As far as she knows, she’s not. So it was technically true. “Dad just asked if I was nauseous and then he blurted that out.”

 

“Yah!” Her mother turned and started slapping him on his arm and leg, he took the beating and pouted while his brother came over and laughed at him. “Don’t you remember our daughter is prone to illness! Just because she’s nauseous doesn’t mean she’s pregnant!” 

 

Soo Min knew her mother wasn’t really angry at him, but just frustrated. She felt bad that her poor dad was being punished and decided to come clean. “Mom, don’t punish dad for thinking I’m pregnant… because I might be.” Her uncle gasped dramatically and the other three frowned at him. 

 

“Ah, right, I’ll give you three some privacy. I hope you guys left me something to eat!” He said while walking away to the kitchen. They could hear him loudly announce his arrival and they couldn’t help but laugh. But then things got serious when her mother asked her daughter why she thought she was pregnant. 

 

“I don’t have a really great memory…” she started off. “So I’m not sure if you know… I was safe on my anniversary with Jeonghan back in July.” Her face was turning red from embarrassment and her father cleared his throat and was feeling a little uncomfortable talking about it, but he didn’t want to just leave and make the impression that he’s not being supportive. He should be here for her along with her mother. “I didn’t want to say anything right now because of all the drama that’s going on. I didn’t want to burden you two during this difficult time.”

 

“Awwh, sweetie!” Her mother cooed. “I’m sorry you feel that way!” She rested a hand on her daughter's arm. “I just didn’t really expect the talk to go the way that it did… but don’t worry. I’ll do my best to move on, because if it’s true and you really are pregnant… I want us to be there for you without any problems.” She saw her mother look at her father and gave him a small smile. He also smiled and reached out to hold her free hand. “I still want us to be a family.” 

 

Suddenly, it seemed like this night wasn’t turning out so bad afterall. Soo Min was feeling relieved. She didn’t want to leave her parents' home on bad terms, she didn’t want to leave when things were going wrong. Even though she didn’t want her little secret to be found out just yet, it’s better this way, right? “Have you taken a pregnancy test yet?” Her mother asked.

 

“I… haven’t really had time.” She shook her head. 

 

“That’s okay. I should have some upstairs! Take one, so we can help you figure things out.” That sounded like a good idea and Soo Min was glad she had her mother’s help. She didn’t like moving forward with the mystery if she might be pregnant or not. She has too much going on and she doesn’t want to be worried about that on top of everything else. But she couldn’t help but notice her mother seemed excited. I suppose parents are excited about getting grandchildren. That made her think about Jeonghan’s grandmother. She’d be super stoked, wouldn’t she? But she’s definitely not going to say anything to the elders yet. The pregnancy test can just help give them an idea of what’s going on, whether they need to set up a doctor's appointment or not. What do I do if it comes out positive? She was a little scared about that. What if I’m not ready to be a mother just yet? And what will Won Woo do if he finds out?!

 

“Are you done?” She heard her mother ask behind the bathroom door. 

 

“Uh, yeah.” She had been done for a few minutes now and was just standing at the sink, waiting for the results. Her mother opened the door and joined her. “I’m scared.” 

 

“It’s okay.” Her mother gave her a gentle side hug. “I was scared when I took my first pregnancy test too. It’s crazy, here I am, 21 years later standing with my daughter and her first pregnancy test.” That was pretty amazing to think about. “I think it should be ready now. Do you want to look first?” 

 

“I guess I should, right?” Soo Min’s hand was shaking when she picked up the test and held it up to look for the results. 

---

Chapter fifty-eight~!

And this concludes CLOSER

PART ONE AT LEAST

My plans of rebooting this fic just didn’t work out, it was too stressful, and after almost another year of putting it off, I managed to come back after chatting with one of my OG readers, so shout out to them, they know who they are! Figured since I already wrote this chapter before the long hiatus, that I just keep it as is and go from there

(Readers are definitely confused right now: I thought dis fic died or something.. it’s alive?)

In PART TWO, which will be titled OVERCOME, the writing style will definitely be different but I hope it won’t be too much of a drastic change and that you guys will still enjoy it. As far as continuing from here, I’ll do my best and make the most of what I already had going on!

So here’s to a new era of the CLOSER SERIES and hopefully I’ll finally finish this monster of a story… thanks to new and old readers for sticking around, hope not to disappoint again! I might be very slow with updates, but I’ll do my best. I don’t want to force anything so I’ll be finishing this eventually, don’t worry.

Until next time 💕

P.S I also opened one of those retrosprings, so feel free to check it out, say hi or whatever~ ^^ it is TXT themed but don't worry I still love SEVENTEEN just as much~!