⇋

“It’s you, right? I remember you!”

Sehun finds he can’t breathe all of a sudden as he watches his―their―son tugging onto Jongin’s pants excitedly.

“S―Sowon, what are you saying? You’ve met―” He barely has time to stutter when Jongin crouches down to be at the same eye level as Sowon.

“You’ve met me before?” the man says, tilting his head.

“Yeah! At the candy store!”

Candy store? Sehun echoes internally. Shoot, Jongin was the stranger who gave Sowon the lollipop that day?

“―is this, Secretary Oh?”

“H―Huh?” Sehun snaps out of his thoughts to find Jongin staring at him.

“Who is this boy? Your cousin?”

“N―No, this is…” Sehun scrambles for words, wondering what he should say. He wants to lie, but… Saying Sowon isn’t his son right in front of the child himself… Lying right in front of Sowon, as if Sowon is someone he is ashamed about… He doesn’t want that.

He doesn’t want his son to ask why his daddy tells other people that they’re not father and son. Sowon deserves better than that.

So. He tells the truth. “…This is my son, Sowon. Oh Sowon.”

“Oh?” Jongin’s face is blank, like he’s wiped any expressions from his face clean as he looks back to the child before him. “I didn't realize you have a son, or that you were married. On your application to the company, you had checked the “I’m Single” box.”

“That’s because I am… I’m a single parent.”

“Single parent…” Jongin repeats, eyes clouded.

“What are you guys talking about?” Sowon speaks up, tiny fingers tugging onto the lapels of Jongin’s suit―a suit that is probably worth millions of won. “Hey, it’s you, right? Daddy said I should say thank you to people who give me k―kindness, so I want to thank you for giving me the lollipop that day!”

Sehun watches in trepidation as Jongin gives their son―god, their son―a bland smile, with no feelings behind it. “I’m sorry, little boy. I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong person.”

“Wrong person?”

“Yes. I don’t visit candy stores, so you’re probably mistaking me for someone else.”

“Really?” Sowon asks, blinking wide eyes at him. The child leans closer, as if trying to inspect the man clearly, before pulling back.

“Right?” Jongin prompts.

“Hmn…” the little boy blinks a few times more before his lips tugged into a pout. “I guess you’re right.”

“He’s right?” Sehun blurts out.

“Yeah. I don’t think this is the Kind Uncle, daddy,” Sowon tells him sadly. “Sorry for mis―mistekking you.”

“It’s ‘mistaking’, and it’s fine,” Jongin tells him, smile still blasé, and stands up. “Well, I need to be on my way, now.”

“R―Right! I’m sorry for interrupting you, Mr. President,” Sehun stumbles with an apologetic bow.

“It’s fine,” the other repeats before walking away, not once looking back. Sehun watches him, feeling an ache spreading in his chest as he sees Jongin’s back getting further and further away.

Away from the son they have together.

“…What was that about?” Chanyeol mutters, breaking the silence.

“Ah. I―I don’t know, to be honest. I guess Sowon mistook my boss for someone who looked like the stranger who gave him candy a few weeks ago.”

“So that man… was your boss…?”

Sehun nods. “Kim Jongin. President of Kim Foundations.”

“…I see…”

“Chanyeol?”

“Nothing,” Chanyeol gives him a cheery smile. “Let’s go too, shall we? I’m starving!”

“Sowon is, too!” the little boy shouts, raising a hand up.

Sehun only laughs as Chanyeol bends down to pick Sowon up.

So Jongin doesn’t know he’s just met his son. So Sowon doesn’t know he’s just met his other father.

That’s fine. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.

Sowon and him are fine, like this.

◒

THREE DAYS LATER,
 

There’s a knock on his door as he turns to a new page in the document. “Come in.”

“I apologize for the intrusion, Mr. Kim,” the newcomer says, bowing, “but I have gathered the information you had asked me to research three days ago.”

Jongin looks up at this. “Is that so? Good work, Minseok. Let me see.”

The other obediently hands him the folder, and Jongin wastes no time flipping it open to read the files inside.

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