t h r e e

Weekends were what Baekhyun and Sehun looked forward to every day of the week till they actually arrived, and almost every Friday night was spent with the exhilarated babble of the two kids, that was slightly reminiscent of a sugar rush to Minah. For weekends meant having their mother to themselves for two whole days, and every Saturday, they would have their weekly trip to the park, where they would play with the other kids to their heart's content.

On one such Friday evening, after having come home with the boys, Minah was slumped on her desk in front of the computer, staring at the rough draft of an advertisement they had been asked to design by a sports equipment company. With her chin resting on one fisted palm, her eyes roamed over the draft advert of the launch of a new store, the other hand curled over the mouse as the cursor flitted across the many details of the design. Her subordinates had done a brilliant job at designing it, and the advertisement was eye-catching and beckoning with its bright colours, bold fonts along with the tagline of the brand splashed across the page in evident appeal. However, Minah couldn't help but feel that there was something amiss, something strange and lacking in the pictures used on display.

It had been around a week since her encounter with the mystery man, and frankly, that matter was not even on her mind as the week following that particular event had been nothing short of work overload and stress. The managing director had informed her department that there was a sudden boom in business, and due to having signed a couple extra contracts, her entire team had been buried neck deep in their work. She was aware of how less time she was spending with her sons, but there was nothing she could do about it; a couple nights were even spent sleepless, hunched over her work desk, reviewing every design as she struggled to meet the deadlines her superiors had given her.

Through the slightly ajar door of her room, two little heads peeked in, staring at their mother's back for a few seconds before backing away, pouts forming on their faces. Because of how busy the woman had been, the boys had been understanding enough to not disturb her by making a lot of noise whenever they were near her room, but not getting the attention they craved from their mother had left them feeling bored.

"Doesn't Mama wanna play with us?" Sehun asked in a meek voice as he stood facing his brother, and Baekhyun lightly patted his kid brother's shoulder with a faint smile.

"It's not like that, Hunnie, she is just a bit occupied with work," Baekhyun tried to explain, using one of the recent additions to his vocabulary. His efforts were in vain, however, as Sehun just stared at him in confusion, before pursing his lips.

"What's a cupid?" He asked with a frown, not liking how foreign the new word sounded to his ears and rolled off his tongue. That resulted in him earning a laugh from Baekhyun, who shook his head.

"No, Sehunnie, it's occupied, meaning she is busy."

"But I'm bored!" The younger of the two huffed in annoyance, his cheeks puffing out adorably. Baekhyun hummed in agreement, putting a hand to his chin like he had seen many actors in detective dramas do whenever they seemed to be deep in thought.

"Well, it is Friday evening," he mused aloud, "Mom needs a dis- what was that word again?" He grumbled, his brows furrowing as he concentrated on trying to recall the word. He exhaled noisily through his nose as he finally gave up.

"Whatever. She needs a break," he declared, before placing both hands on his little brother's shoulders, his eyes meeting the other's in a decisive glance. "Go talk to her first, okay?" Baekhyun knew that no matter what he did, Minah would never get upset at Sehun, and he was going to use that to his advantage at every moment that he could.

Sehun seemed apprehensive at first, then took in a deep breath, bracing himself for the worst as he gently pushed the door open, tiptoeing inside the room. His mother had probably not heard him enter, judging by how she had not reacted in any way.

"M-mama?" Sehun muttered under his breath, and outside the room, Baekhyun had to resist the urge to slap himself on the forehead from his younger brother's act of cowardice. But the younger kid knew how cranky their mother could get sometimes, so no way was he going to take any chances. Yet, the master bedroom had been deathly silent, so even the lightest of whispers could be heard clearly, and Minah straightened up in her seat, before turning around slowly to face the little boy.

"Sehun? Is there any problem?" She asked, a hint of worry in her tired voice, and mentally winced at how exhausted she sounded due to the burden of work as well as lack of adequate sleep; fueled by the constant need of having to look after her sons, and she was but a hair's breadth away from snapping into two and losing her hold on any remaining threads of sanity. Granted, it had been her own decision to raise the two boys on her own, but sometimes, it just became too difficult to handle, even if she knew that under no circumstances was she going to give up on her duties as a parent. She shoved that thought to the back of her mind as she focused on Sehun, who had trotted over to the chair, resting both of his tiny hands on her knees as he stared at her, bug-eyed.

"Mama, play with us. We're bored," he pleaded, mustering as much firmness in his voice as he could, a pout making its way on his face. Minah was aware that he wasn't purposely trying to act cute, and tried her best to shield herself against the puppy eyes. Leaning forward, she bent down and picked him up in her arms, and the little one was quick to instantly position himself on her lap, snuggling into her side.

"I'm so sorry, baby, but I still have a lot of work to do. See?" She tried to reason, pointing at the glaring screen of the computer, which prompted Baekhyun to run inside the room as well.

"But Mom," the older boy whined, "you have been saying that every day for so many days. Sehun is worried that you don't want to play with us anymore," he blurted out, causing Minah to blink in bafflement. She quickly looked down at the kid in her lap, meeting Sehun's dark eyes, and she felt like she had just melted then and there.

"Of course that's not true, Sehunnie," she reassured him in a soft voice, giving her complete attention to Sehun even as Baekhyun joined the two of them next to the desk. "I love playing with the two of you, okay?"

Sehun visibly relaxed upon receiving the assurance he wanted, and he proceeded to pat his mother lightly on her stomach. "Then play with us?"

Minah found herself on the fence for a few seconds, before she decided to give in to her boys' demands, and nodded resignedly as she set Sehun down on the floor, turning to the computer and saving her work. "Okay, I guess I did need a little distraction," she admitted with a shrug to herself, and Baekhyun smacked his hands together from where he had been standing.

"That's it! That's the word I was trying to recollect," he exclaimed, to which Minah could only laugh. Having recently discovered the 'magical world of storybooks' -- in her older son's words exactly -- he would always welcome any and all inclusions to his ever-expanding vocabulary, and the woman could tell he was having every bit of fun with every new word he learned.

She stopped by the door as she placed both hands on her hips, eyebrows knitted together in thought before her expression brightened.

"Okay boys, how do you feel about making some brownies?" She asked enthusiastically, grinning as she saw their faces slowly light up, and they gave her vigorous nods of agreement.

"All right, let's go!" She cheered, pumping a fist in the air as she began climbing down the stairs and towards the kitchen, the boys trailing after her like a pair of ducklings waddling after their mama duck. Sometimes, Minah really wondered if she was gradually starting to turn into a kid as well, but if that meant making her kids happy, she would stay that way for as long as she could.

Brownies being her personal favourite dessert, Minah had made it dozens of times before, and the process felt way too natural for her now as she carefully measured all the necessary ingredients, setting everything down on the kitchen counter while the oven preheated. Baekhyun and Sehun stood on either side of their mother as they silently watched her mix the ingredients, the younger standing on tiptoe to peer into the mixing bowl. As a small prize for being well behaved, she let them take a little each out of the mixture, chuckling as they beamed at her.

Soon after, she was dusting powdered sugar on the square pieces of the delectable dessert, keeping the plate loaded with brownies on the dining table.

"How about we take some of these to the park tomorrow?" She proposed as her sons swiped a couple brownies each, and took a piece for herself as she waited for their answer.

"Can our friends taste them, too?" Baekhyun asked innocently, to which she nodded with a wide smile.

"Sure, why not?" She said, which seemed to satisfy both the boys as they glanced at each other before giggling softly.

Dinner was never a fussy affair in the Lee household, and with Baekhyun and Sehun gobbling up whatever food was served to them, they were done with it quickly. As their last 'family activity' of the day, the three were now seated across from the television in the living room, sprawled out on the couch. On Minah's left, Sehun was already beginning to feel drowsy from a full stomach, and even Baekhyun seemed a bit quieter as compared to his usual bubbly self.

"Mom?" Baekhyun spoke up from her right, and she looked away from the television to see her older son gazing up at her. She gently moved a hand through his black hair with a hum, her other hand absently Sehun's back. The younger one's head had now dropped down on her lap, and she could faintly hear his slowed breathing as he drifted off into dreamland.

She kept her eyes on Baekhyun, looking at him expectantly as he seemingly hesitated regarding whatever he had wanted to say, before taking a deep breath and blurting it out.

"Today, Chanyeol was telling me about his father," he said, voice low, and Minah arched an eyebrow. The mystery man? She thought, patting Baekhyun on his head lightly.

"What about him, dear?"

"Well... he said that he really likes how you smile at me and Sehunnie, and how his dad never smiles at him and his brothers like that." Minah frowned as she listened to him speak, but stayed quiet, letting him continue.

"Chanyeol said that their father is always shouting at them, even at home, and then he gets really mad if they don't listen to him. He mentioned how their dad was really nice to them a few months ago, but then he suddenly changed and became really weird and moody, you know? Chanyeol said that he wants their old dad back," Baekhyun ended with a mutter, and Minah found herself staring into space, scowling slightly. Turning back to the boy, she gently pushed the dark bangs off his face, only for them to come to a rest on his forehead again, and she repeated the gesture to keep her hand occupied.

"Baekhyun, tell me one thing: has Chanyeol ever misbehaved in school?" She asked, the frown on her face deepening as he shook his head.

"He is a very nice boy, and he always listens to our teachers," he supplied, which just confused her more. If his sons were well mannered and polite, what was it that made the man behave so rudely towards them, as well as towards other people? She hadn't come across him since the day she had seen him in Baekhyun's school, but she knew that a long talk was due once she saw him again. She just could not go on like this, knowing how wrong his conduct towards his kids was. It was time she really, actually butted into his personal space, and there was no other way she could go about it.

The next day, Minah walked into the park behind her sons, looking around as she silently observed the plants lining the stoned walkway, and adjusted the strap of the bag on her shoulder. She could faintly hear the noises as they got closer to the play area, smiling to herself as she caught sight of the kids running about, shrieking and yelling as they played with each other.

There were a few picnic tables set up to one side of the park, along with wide umbrellas attached to shield the parents from the hot sun as they watched their kids play. Minah was slightly surprised as she saw that her mystery man had already arrived; she had asked Baekhyun if Chanyeol and his brothers would be at the park, and her son had answered in the affirmative. Which was why the man's presence hadn't surprised her as much as his punctuality did, since there were hardly any other parents in the park besides him. With a shrug, she ushered her sons ahead, telling them to go and play, and she strode with purpose over to the table, planting herself down in front of the man.

"What," she heard him begin, voice laced with displeasure, "are you doing?"

Minah tipped her head to a side, raising an eyebrow as she stared right back at him. "I'm sitting. You know, the action of landing your on a solid surface?" She couldn't help the sudden bout of sarcasm as she leaned ahead, folding her arms on the table with a smirk. She thoroughly enjoyed the sour look on his face, before he looked away in indignation.

She noisily cleared , knowing he had heard her by the way his eyebrows quirked up. "I wanted to have a little chat with you, Mr. uh..." she trailed off, waiting for him to introduce himself.

"I don't really feel like telling you my name, thank you very much," he replied defiantly, and Minah felt herself deflating as her resolve began to slip away. With an exasperated sigh, she huffed, resting her chin on a palm, her elbows propped up on the picnic table.

"Fine. Don't blame me for using weird nicknames for you, then," she said, ignoring the glare he had shot her way, and she sighed again, bringing both hands down on the table and clasping them together.

"Okay, so... Mr. Grumpy," she began, hearing the grunt of irritation from the other side, "would you like to tell me why you are always in a bad mood?"

"It's my choice, little lady," he replied, leaving her wondering if that was his very own nickname for her.

"But can't you see what your behaviour is doing to the kids?" She pried. "Have you really failed to notice how glum and sulky they are whenever they're with you? How can you turn a blind eye to them, when you clearly know how much they are hurting from within?"

Minah flinched violently as the man suddenly brought down one fist on the table, banging the surface loudly. His lips were now set tightly into a thin line, and his blazing, dark eyes held a murderous glint as he glowered at her.

"Listen, woman, you know nothing about me, okay? Zero. So I don't think you are in any position to lecture me about life or my decisions. I can behave with my sons the way I want, and the last thing I need is for you to say anything about my life," he hissed through gritted teeth, glaring at her, and she could literally feel a chill running up her spine from the angry look he was shooting her. "You think the boys are hurting? Well, that's nothing compared to how much I am hurting on a daily basis, and I do not need some random woman opening those wounds, all right?"

The man had spoken it with an air of finality, but Minah couldn't help herself, speaking up again, her tone a little bit softer.

"Would you... like to talk about it?" She asked, her gaze turning sympathetic. It had become kind of obvious now that there was something that was deeply bothering this man, and while she definitely did not approve of his letting it all out on his kids, maybe she could help him cope with it. Chanyeol had talked to Baekhyun about how their father hadn't been this stern a few months ago, so maybe there had been some event in his life that had induced such a peculiar behaviour from the male.

"I don't want your help, and I definitely do not want your sympathy."

The anger was clear in his voice, and Minah could only stare at her hands, growing uncharacteristically quiet as a heavy, uneasy silence descended on them.

It wasn't long before a loud screech fell on their ears, shattering the silence in the air, and Minah instantly knew who that voice belonged to. She shot up from her seat at the table, earning a questioning look from the man in front. "That's my son," she managed to say before turning around, sprinting towards a group of kids huddled together, crouching down on the grass. She could make out Baekhyun's dark head of hair, but Sehun -- the one who had shouted -- was nowhere to be seen. A feeling of dread passed over her and began to settle in, and she was vaguely aware of the footsteps behind her as someone followed her to where the boys were.

"What happened? Where's Sehun?" She demanded between pants as she got closer to the kids, only to see her younger son right in the middle of the tiny circle they had formed, his back to her as he loomed over something she couldn't see. Upon hearing her voice, though, he turned to look at her, giving her a bright grin.

"Mama, look!" He said, pointing a chubby finger at whatever it was, and Minah had to lean in till she saw it-

"A kitten?!" She cried out, throwing her hands in the air just as the mystery man came to a stop beside her. She put a hand to her face, rubbing at her eyes before staring at Sehun. "Don't scare me like that, baby, please," she said as she crouched down next to the circle of little boys, four pairs of eyes looking back at her while Sehun's eyes held an apologetic gaze.

"Sorry Mama," he mumbled, then brightened again as he turned to the kitten, who was now staring at the small crowd of five kids and two adults warily.

"Isn't it cute?" Baekhyun asked gleefully, but pouted. "We want to play with it, but we're scared that it might scratch us." Four tiny heads bobbed up and down in harmony, and Minah made a face at the animal. It seemed harmless enough, but its eyes had turned cautious, and she wasn't a fan of cats to begin with.

She heard the shuffling of feet near her, and looked up to see the man walk closer to the kitten, a rare look of affection on his face as he bent down on his knees. She watched him as he stayed completely calm while reaching out a hand towards the little ball of fluff, letting it sniff and prod at his fingers for a few seconds, before it its head up in an attempt to try and be petted. Minah could feel hanging open in utter awe as the man proceeded to gently pick the kitten up in his hands, cradling it against his chest. She had to do a double take as she glanced at his face; where had the angry, irritated young man disappeared to?

Mr. Grumpy's seemingly permanent scowl had melted away, getting replaced by soft features, and one of the gentlest smiles she had ever seen. She realised she had been right when she had first seen him in the movie theatre: the man in front of her, the father of the three children was handsome, undeniably so.

How could Minseok ever let this golden opportunity go? He had always been a lover of cats, and after seeing the benign, innocent creature lying comfortably in the grass as it just begged to be petted, something inside him had stirred. Before he could stop himself, he had extended a hand towards the kitten, and before he knew it, the animal was resting in his folded arms, cosy and snug against his chest. He didn't even know how much he was smiling until it faded once he had taken a look at the kids' faces, as well as the woman's. They were staring at him as if they had just come face-to-face with an alien.

Sighing inwardly, he tenderly set the kitten down with a final pat on its head. "It won't bite or scratch you, go on and play with it," he said, his voice coming out a lot softer than usual, something that seemed unfamiliar to his three sons as they exchanged furtive glances, before hesitatingly taking turns in petting the kitten.

Straightening himself as he stood up, Minseok silently made his way back to the table he had been sitting at, absently wiping his hands on his T-shirt. Sitting back down, he dug his phone out of the pocket of his jeans just to keep his hands busy, groaning internally as the lady joined him. Great, he thought. She was just going to bug him some more.

"Well, that was unexpected," he heard her say as she sat down in front, and there was a look of pleasant surprise mixed with slight ecstasy on her face. "I never knew you could smile," she pressed further.

Now she was teasing him. What was wrong with the female population of the world?

"I guess I'm just a cat person," he mumbled as he kept his phone away, locking gazes with her in an almost challenging way. He frowned slightly as she shrugged, shaking her head.

"Ah, too bad, that's another thing we won't agree upon. I like dogs more," she admitted willingly, leaving Minseok even more confused. Just a few minutes ago, she was trying her level best to pry into his past, bombarding him with questions. And now, why she had suddenly turned friendly and amiable, talking casually about their animal preferences?

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Minseok responded in a dismissive way with a roll of his eyes, trying hard to get rid of her, but there was a steely glint in her eyes that told him that she wouldn't be going away anytime soon. In some ways, this little lady really reminded him of Kim Jongdae, and God help him if he was going to be stuck with her, knowing that his sons and hers were good friends.

Author's Note:

Dear God, that's the longest chapter I've ever written. Almost 4k words! I hope you guys don't have a problem with the chapter length, if I want to get done with the story without having a long list of chapters, I will have to write longer chapters and fit in quite a bit of plot in each of them.

Also, I have decided to not give Sehun his trademark lisp in my story, as I feel it's somewhat of a stereotype? No hard feelings, and I'm definitely not criticising his lisp.

I'm slowly working on uncovering their pasts, carefully peeling layer after layer while taking care as to not disrupt the general pace of the story. All in due time, folks ;)

Please leave comments regarding your thoughts, love you!