From here onwards, I'll refer to Wonwoo's parents as Mr. and Mrs. Jeon, but just a reminder that these names are made up and is in no way related to their parents in real life.

"Oh, so it really isn't a girlfriend," Seungkwan spoke, staring at the tall boy.

Mingyu stood in front of the dining table with Wonwoo by his side and the latter's family already seated. He shifted from one foot to another, smiling his best smile.

"Mom, Dad, this is Mingyu." Was Wonwoo's short introduction before he guided Mingyu to an empty seat and sitting next to him. 

His family looked on, slightly confused. 

"So," Wonwoo's mom spoke. "Are you Wonwoo's special friend?"

Wonwoo rubbed a hand down his face embarrassingly. "You don't have to say it like that, Mom..."

"Well, for one, I thought your special friend would be a girl. Here I am thinking you finally got yourself a girlfriend," his dad spoke. 

Mingyu cleared his throat awkwardly, glancing at Wonwoo. The older had wanted to finally come out to his family, but Mingyu had a feeling he would delay it later.

From across them, Seungkwan's eyes moved between the two boys. "Mom, let's just eat first. I'm hungry," he suggested, pulling a puppy expression towards his mother, who pinched his nose adoringly.

"Okay, then. Since the side dishes are here, why not you go in and take the main dish off the stove," she told Seungkwan, who complied without hesitation. She turned back towards Mingyu. "Oh, right, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Kim Jisu, or Jeon Jisu. And this is Jeon Sunwoo."

Mingyu nodded, smiling. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Jeon."

Wonwoo eyed an extra plate on the table. "Is there someone else who's coming over?" He asked. 

"Oh, Seungkwan thought that since you're bringing a friend over, he would too," Mrs. Jeon explained. 

Just as Seungkwan placed the pot of stew on the table, the doorbell rang, indicating the presence of another visitor.

Wonwoo frowned. He wanted the conversation to be among his family only. Now he had to deal with his brother's friend?

Well, he was pretty sure they both knew anyway. However, Seungkwan hadn't said anything to him about what happened in school. For the most part, he had been avoiding him since he came home from Mingyu's house that morning, limping awkwardly.

He turned towards Mingyu discreetly, who was already staring at him. They shared a smile, before Mingyu mouthed "It'll be okay." He patted the older's thighs comfortingly from under the table. Their moment was cut short when Seungkwan returned, a foreign-looking boy next to him.

"Mom, Dad, this is my friend I've been telling you about! He's half Korean and American but he just looks foreign and he can speak English really, really, well too and it's so cool!" He rambled.

His friend looked abashed. "Hello, I'm Hansol. My English name is Vernon, but I just use my Korean name now," the boy greeted, bowing respectfully.

He then followed Seungkwan and took a seat at the other end of the table in between Seungkwan and Mingyu. 

With that, they began eating, making small talks here and there. 

"So, Mingyu, you're in Year 3 too?" Mrs. Jeon asked.

Mingyu shook his head. "I'm in Year 2 actually. Me and Wonwoo just met while I was doing my part-time job, and we became... friends from there."

She nodded her head. "Do you have any siblings?" 

"I have an older sister."

Silence then followed as they resumed eating, the sound of metal spoons clinking against the ceramic bowl filling the air. 

"How about you, Hansol?" She asked Seungkwan's friend instead. "I've heard so much about you from Seungkwan."

Hansol shook his head. "I'm an only child."

"You must feel lonely. I'm glad Seungkwan befriended you," she sympathised, smiling comfortingly. 

He shrugged. "I guess. But I'm out most of the time, because there isn't anyone at home."

"His parents are both workaholic," Seungkwan intervened, explaining.

Mr. Jeon turned towards Mingyu. "Are your parents both working, Mingyu?"

Mingyu scratched the back of his neck as Wonwoo looked slightly worried. "Um, they both passed away two years ago in an accident, actually. My sister works for the both of us now."

"Oh, my," Mrs. Jeon gasped. "It must have been hard for you."

"An accident?" Mr. Jeon echoed. "If you don't mind me asking, was it the accident at the highway, and you were there?"

The taller's eyes widened as he nodded. "Yes, actually. I... I was there during the accident..." He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Dad, let's not talk about this anymore. It's a sensitive and painful topic," Wonwoo interrupted.

Mr. Jeon nodded. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Mingyu," he apologised. "It's just that I remembered helping an injured boy out of his car where his parents were trapped in. It must've been you."

"Oh?" Seungkwan spoke up. "I was there too. Actually, now that I remember, it was you. Sorry, Hyung, it was painful for me to watch you suffer that day too."

Mingyu was surprised. "I see... Thank you for helping me. It really was tough."

Mrs. Jeon agreed, as she placed more stew in his bowl filled with more meat. Mingyu was touched by her action, feeling as though he could break down. He really did miss a mother's warmth.

Although Wonwoo was equally surprised that his father and brother have seen Mingyu before, he wanted to divert the topic of discussion. He knew first-hand how painful it was to just talk about the accident. He raked his mind for a random topic. "So there was a prank in school yesterday." , wrong topic to talk about.

"Oh, yes, I've heard from Seungkwan. I think the prank this time round have gone slightly too far, though," Mrs. Jeon spoke, frowning slightly. "Students could have been injured from those broken chairs."

"There's the desks too," Hansol suddenly added in.

Wonwoo's eyes widened. Oh no, don't bring this up like this. Not when I haven't told them what I wanted to say.

"Desks?" Mrs. Jeon repeated.

"Yeah. Apparently the Year 3 students' tables were labelled." He then turned towards Wonwoo, recognition evident in his gaze. The older glanced at Mingyu nervously. "Hey, you're Wonwoo right? The one a lot of people were talking about."

This attracted the attention of both Wonwoo's parents, who placed their spoons down. "What do you mean?" Mr. Jeon asked. He turned to Wonwoo, expecting his son to explain. 

Wonwoo was at a loss for words. He wanted to explain to his parents in his own pace, not by being pushed to a corner like this.

"It was just some mean words," Mingyu cut in. "I can't believe some people have no morals."

"But what was on Wonwoo's desk that got people talking about him?" Mrs. Jeon asked. "They're not being mean to you to too, are they?" She looked worriedly at Wonwoo.

"Seungkwan-ah, can you bring your friend to your room? I want to talk to Mom and Dad alone," Wonwoo spoke. 

Seungkwan, who had an uncomfortable expression on his face as he invited Hansol into his room, left the dining area. Now it was just Wonwoo, Mingyu and the former's parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Jeon sensed that the atmosphere had grown serious, and dropped all smiles. "What is it, Wonwoo?" Mrs. Jeon questioned worriedly.

Wonwoo took a deep breath in. "Before that... Mom, Dad, would you... If I were different, or if I'm not the same as any other boys, would you still accept me for who I am?" 

"Um, well, sure," Mr. Jeon replied. folding his arms on the table. "What is this about?"

"Are you two dating?" Mrs. Jeon asked abruptly.

Wonwoo choked on his saliva as he heard the words escape his mother's mouth. Wait, what? Mingyu patted his back awkwardly. 

"What?" Mr. Jeon spoke in disbelief. "How did you even think about–"

"Yes, it's true," Wonwoo answered quickly before he could chicken out. His father stared at him, shocked.

Mrs. Jeon replied, "Well, I think I had an hunch when I saw the way the both of you look at each other. It was more than just friendly affection."

"Y-you're okay with it?" Wonwoo asked nervously, surprised that his mother even suspected them but didn't do anything about it.

Mrs. Jeon smiled. "Wonwoo, of course I'm okay. I even have friends who took part in that protest that supported their gay children."

Mingyu stared at the lady in admiration. That was until Mr. Jeon spoke up.

"Hold on. You mean to say, that you're gay?" 

Mrs. Jeon slapped him on the arm. "Oh come on, honey. I spoke to you about this topic many times." 

Her husband cleared his throat, still not looking happy about the news. "I guess you did... I just didn't expect for our son to be gay." 

Wonwoo looked at the both of them expectantly. 

His mother smiled at both Mingyu and Wonwoo. "What your dad means to say, Wonwoo, is that we're okay with whoever you are dating. As long as you're happy."

In joy, Wonwoo jumped up from his seat, going over to the other side of the table to hug his mother tightly while thanking her. He didn't forget to do the same with his dad, who simply grunted in response, not used to the affection. No words could describe how happy Wonwoo was. While telling his friends made him feel light and happy, telling his parents who even accepted him made him felt like the happiest person in the world, and he felt like crying.

"But... How is this related to the prank?" Mrs. Jeon asked.

Now that the both of them knew, Wonwoo began telling them everything that had happened in school, with the exception of Mingyu and him carrying out the previous pranks, of course.

That night, the four talked about it, shared advices, and even shed some tears. 

*

When it was time for Mingyu to leave, Wonwoo walked him down. As he passed by his bicycle that he rarely used, he noticed that it looked brand new. The rustiness on it was replaced with a new coating of paint. He looked towards Mingyu, tugging at their clapsed hands. 

"Thank you," he said, smiling warmly at him. 

Mingyu looked slightly confused. 

"My bike. I didn't realise it," Wonwoo explained. "I'm still sorry I ever doubted you yesterday..." He looked away as the guilt returned.

The pair stopped walking as Mingyu let go of his hand to hold onto his shoulders. "It's okay, Wonwoo. We talked about this. You were emotionally distraught yesterday, so I understand..." He pulled him into a hug. "Besides, I guess last night made up for that," he teased, causing Wonwoo to blush furiously and punch his shoulder.

They continued walking until they reached the entrance of the apartment complex. 

"I'll see you on Monday?" Wonwoo asked, swinging their hands. 

Mingyu nodded, before leaning down for a quick kiss. He knew it wouldn't be good for any of them if he allowed himself to deepen the kiss. 

As he watched his boyfriend leave, Wonwoo pouted. He wanted to stay with him longer. Turning around, he was about to head into the elevator when he bumped into Seungkwan and Hansol.

"Oh, Hansol? You're leaving too?" Wonwoo asked politely. "Mingyu just left too," he said, turning to Seungkwan.

Seungkwan nodded. "I... I heard. I'll just walk Hansol out. Just wait for me here."

Wonwoo did as he was asked to, standing at the lift lobby and counting the number of tiles on the floor before Seungkwan returned. They entered the lift together. 

"So... You and Mingyu, huh?" Seungkwan spoke, leaning against the elevator wall.

Wonwoo scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Sorry you had to find out this way. I hope no one is giving you a hard time because your brother, you know, likes guys too..."

Seungkwan shook his head. "Don't worry. It's not your fault. And from what I've heard so far, no one really talked bad about you. They were just shocked and amazed, I guess. It's the 21st century. Our country's disagreement on this won't last."

Wonwoo stared at his brother, touched, before looking back at the elevator doors as it opened again. "Thanks, Seungkwan."

*

Mingyu felt a presence next to him as he walked towards the direction of his home. Turning, he found Seungkwan's friend for earlier, Hansol, walking next to him. For some reason, he wasn't quite fond of the guy. Why would he bring up what happened to Wonwoo during dinner?

"Oh, Hansol, is it?" he greeted out of politeness and not because he wanted to.

Hansol grinned. "Yes, that's right. So, your home is around here?"

"It's not near, but I'm still able to walk home," Mingyu responded, looking forward again as they walked on the sidewalk. "Hey, Hansol. I heard that you just transferred to this school not long ago. So what happened to your previous school?"

"I was in America before coming here. My dad decided to continue his business in Korea so we came back here with my mom who's also working here," the boy explained.

Mingyu simply nodded, quickening his pace slightly. He wanted to go home faster so he could call Wonwoo again.

"So the whole thing with Wonwoo... Is it true that he's gay? He seemed pretty cozy with the other guy in the picture," Hansol asked. Mingyu missed the way the younger gave him a smirk.

"He's my boyfriend," Mingyu replied curtly. "And whoever did whatever they did is just sick in the head."

"I wonder what will happen when the perpetrator is caught. Will it be a warning and calling up the parents? Will it be suspension? Oh, that sounds great. I hate school."

Mingyu frowned, this time looking back at Hansol. "Why would you hate school? I thought you were lonely at home."

"Nah, I'd rather play my video games with my online friends than sit in class and listen to my Math teacher explaining equations."

Normally, Mingyu would agree with him, as they both shared the same dislike for the subject. But the way Hansol spoke disturbed him slightly. "You can't just be rotting at home like that right? I mean, even if you hate school, don't your friends make up for it?"

"I'll be moving soon anyways. We always move. I don't see a need to be committed to a friendship."

Mingyu was seething. "What about Seungkwan? Wonwoo's been telling me that he would never stop talking about you, that he admires you so much for speaking English well, because he wanted to do the same. You can't just say you don't want to commit to a friendship when you already have someone who basically already considers you his best friend."

Hansol looked slightly guilty, but still stayed rooted to his opinion. "Whatever. He'll find another friend to play with... I'm turning here. Bye, I guess."

WIthout another word, he walked away, and Mingyu stared at the retreating back, not knowing if the strange feeling in his guts was sympathy or suspicion.

A/N: Long overdue chapter omg. For one, I just didn't have much motivation to write, cuz I had a writer's block. Also, I have too much school work going on I didn't had much time for myself. It was just: wake up, go to school, come home at 6, study/complete projects, and sleep. I do try to squeeze in some time for myself, but that just ends up with me procrastinating my school work lmao (mainly cuz of the number of meanie fics i'm reading/rereading).

Before the week where all the in school went down, I managed to write another whole meanie fic that I've already posted and completed and awaiting bonus chapters *sparkle sparkle*  called Love of a Doll. Now, why did I write that but not just continue this? I had the story idea for too long and had a burst of inspiration and motivation, and I quite enjoyed writing it myself too so in a way it gave me some stress relief. Check it out maybe? Also for those who want more than the make out scene you got in the previous chapter, there's something more in that fic. *hehe*

So back to this chapter, it wasn't much, just boring scenes. It may look like Wonwoo's dad can't really accept him so soon??? We'll find out later. The part about the mothers having a protest kinda thing for their gay children is what I saw once on twitter, I think, and yes it was in Korea. (: And what did you all think of Hansol? Is he just a troubled child or is there something more to him? AND AND, did anyone get the meaning of Wonwoo limping home part hmmmmmmmmmm.

Jeon Jisu hmmmm. Idk why but I suddenly thought about linking Love of a Doll with this story. Maybe not directly, but like reincarnation or something, although I don't believe in that. But it'll be interesting. Seungkwan's family in the past helped Wonwoo a lot and so now in the present when he's orphaned, Wonwoo's parents take him in lovingly. Ayeeeeeee.

Again, I don't think I'll be updating anytime soon cuz I just survived a week of submissions and project interviews and tests, and I still have more coming up next week.

On a side note, DAY 1 of CARATLAND just ended and ohmygosh I became so emo. Everyone cried apparently and so I cried even though I wasn't there. And can we talk about just how many Meanie moments happened like A FREAKING LOT. THERE'S SO MUCH SKINSHIP I-  And that one vlive when Wonwoo sat next to Mingyu and were laughing together and Wonwoo grabbed Mingyu's arm and when Wonwoo laughed so cutely Mingyu just started smiling and laughing too as he looked at Wonwoo adoringly my poor meanie heart-