Turn Around 

Sehun was toking on his cigarette again, he did it almost frequently actually, except when Zhiyu, his five-year-son, was around. Sehun would hide at his old house to smoke, then shower and brush his teeth before picking up Zhiyu from school and going home to his soon-to-be wife, Lee Airin.

The old house became his secret safe house since it was an untidy place that Airin would probably never go to. It also gave him so much to remember, not only because he grew up there with his parents, but also because it was where he had last seen the person he assumed he must have hurt the most. He had tried leaving the house over and over, but none of his attempts worked. Even when his parents decided to permanently move in to Busan, Sehun's heart remained in Seoul and in that house where he was raised, where he thought he'd spend the rest of his life with the person he's destined with. 

Neither Sehun nor Airin expected that they'd end up having a child, or at least that was what Sehun believed since he had always been cautious. But even though Sehun never wanted a child, his smile was priceless when he first set his eyes on baby Zhiyu. It was the kind of smile that any child and mother dream of seeing from their father and husband's face. It was a smile of acknowledgement. Something unexplainable, but definitely extraordinary.

Sehun's thoughts were cut promptly when his phone rang repeatedly, he turned his gaze down to his phone on the empty space beside him and sighed when he saw Airin's name on the screen.

Then he grabbed his phone and answered knowingly, "I'm coming. I'm on my way." 

"To where?" Airin asked, irritation was clear in her sarcastic tone. 

"To pick up Zhiyu-"

"Forget it, Sehun. I already picked him up. His teacher called me and told me that your son got into a fight again," Airin told Sehun through the phone, she was rolling her eyes, dying to slap some senses into Sehun or perhaps blame Sehun for Zhiyu's existence. "Seriously, what the did you teach him? He's only five years old for God's sake! Come home quick and talk to him yourself!"

Sehun bit his lower lip as a pang of guilt hit him. He should've been there earlier to prevent Zhiyu from getting himself into a second fight. "Hey, did you talk to him, Airin?" Sehun asked rather calmly, "Can you stay with him for a while? I'm still like thirty minutes away from home."

Sehun walked into his room to change his clothes. After that, he grabbed an unopened mouthwash from one of the wall cabinets and scurried into the bathroom.

"Why? Where are you? You're not staying at another woman's house, right? Or maybe you're staying at another guy's hou-"

"Cut it out, Airin!" Sehun shouted, and sighed quickly after realizing he just raised his voice at his overly-sensitive single mother girlfriend. "I went to a soccer competition at the South Field thirthy minutes away from there," he lied. "I'm not lying so just be the good mother that you're supposed to be for our son." Sehun didn't even give Airin a chance to protest. He ended the call decidedly, and then he rinsed his mouth with the cool mint mouthwash. As soon as he finished, he drove back to Airin's house. 

Meanwhile, Zhiyu was in his room, alone whilst hugging his Spongebob pillow. In times when he gets in trouble, his father was always the one he'd seek for. He just needed his father to embrace his tiny little body and tell him that it's alright to get in trouble sometimes. His mother, Airin, on the other hand, wouldn't even comfort him unless Sehun was there. 

Zhiyu needed the love of his mother who was strangely distant from him. He'd always end up questioning if she was really his mother. If she was, then why wasn't she acting like one? Why was she only acting like Sehun's girlfriend and future wife? Did she ever think about him, the little boy searching for the love of a mother?

Consequently, Zhiyu stepped out of his room to wait for his father at the balcony, embracing his little pillow as if it were Sehun. As he took little quiet steps towards the hallway to the kitchen, he remained wary so that his mother won't catch him leaving his room. If she did, he'd get screamed at again. However, he stopped in his tracks when he heard his mother's voice and another woman's voice chattering in the kitchen. Zhiyu's heart practically dropped to his stomach, and he tightened his grip on his pillow as he listened to the adults talking behind his back. 

"I just can't keep up to his expectations, you know?" Airin complained, putting her hand between the spot on her wrinkled forehead as she continued with a louder and an angrier voice. "Everytime I see that child, my blood boils. He's so whiny, and he's always looking for Sehun. He's always annoying the hell out of me, both of them are! I don't even know how Sehun raised him this far! Jesus! I wish Sehun and I get married soon so we can adopt a child or make another baby, someone who's actually nicer. I just don't understand why Sehun's making me wait too long. I don't understand why I have to handle that stupid boy when Sehun's not around. Zhiyu is such an eyesore, nobody needs a child like him, period." 

Zhiyu just wanted to disappear. He could feel his tears pricking in his eyes. He could feel his heart clenching in his chest. He could feel his everything crumbling to the ground. Now he just wanted to see his father and be held in his arms forever. 

"Come on, relax dear," Airin's friend tried to comfort her by tapping her back and saying, "He's still your son. You just need to be patient with kids. Even if you adopt a child, it doesn't mean that he or she is gonna be nicer than Zhiyu." 

"I don't care. I literally don't want that child. All I want is Sehun-" Airin halted her words when a small hiccup from her little boy intruded her conversation. "Zh-Zhiyu?" Airin sputtered, getting up from the chair abruptly, fret carving on her face. 

"Oh boy," Airin's friend mumbled behind her.

Zhiyu was scared, hurt even. If only he didn't leave his room. If only he turned his back before he could hear those words. If only he had fallen asleep. Then maybe he wouldn't have had to feel the pain of a mother's hatred. His mother's words about not wanting him repeated itself like a cursed mantra, so he whipped around and dashed to the other door as tears began falling from his pink cheeks. Only then did he bump against a strong and taller figure Sehun, who had just entered the house. Sehun instantly noticed the tears staining his little boy's cheeks as the boy looked up at him. Unable to say a word to his anxious father with the questioning gaze, Zhiyu did nothing else but hugged the adult almost desperately.

"Zh-Zhiyu, what happened? Are you feeling alright?" Sehun asked, pulling those little arms away as gently as he could. He went on his knees to get a better view of his child. When he received no answer, he looked over his shoulder to Airin, who only shrugged her shoulders as if she had done nothing wrong. Hence, Sehun took another good look at his son and smiled. "Daddy's going out to meet the band for a rehearsal today. Remember Yixing? He played with you last time," Sehun asked, earning a nod from his boy. "Chanyeol is gonna be there too. He's going to bring his little cousin who is also about your age. Do you want to come with me and meet everyone? Yixing said he's gonna bring ice cream for everyone. I can ask him to bring your favorite flavor."

Zhiyu slightly bobbed his head up and down again and again. "I just wanna be with you, daddy," Zhiyu said cutely, "Anywhere. I'll go anywhere anywhere as long as I can see you, daddy." 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Luhan walked emptily down the street. What was he going to tell his mother? Surely, she'll notice that something was wrong. He kicked a nearby rock, expressing his anger and frustration. It bounced out of sight. 

Unfortunately, he got in trouble earlier. He almost lost his job at the hotel. And then, on his way home, he found an old man who collapsed in the street. Luhan helped the elder and brought him to the hospital. Luhan was glad to help the old man. However helping his drunk friend, who wasn't even a very good friend to him, wasn't his intention. Apparently, his penniless friend called him over to a beer house, and had to