Changmin walked into the hospital’s main hall with a silly smile on his face and a cup of hot chocolate in his hand. He was hoping to be able to surprise Jaejoong and check on Yunhwa at the same time. He hadn’t seen the kid for quite some time already. His schedule and the latest cases had kept him busy for weeks.

He stepped toward the elevators when he saw a familiar woman walking in front of him. He smiled, calling out for her. "Good morning, pretty girl!"

“And good morning to you, handsome.” JiEun spun around at Changmin’s voice. She inclined her head a little when Changmin leaned over and kissed the top of her head like how her brothers usually did. “Are you here to see Yunhwa and Jaejoong?”

“Yeah, thought I could pick Jaejoong up for work or something.” Changmin nodded, showing the paper cup in his hand. "Let’s just hope he hasn't left yet."

JiEun drew away the edge of her sleeve, taking a quick look at her watch. “Almost six. He might still be here. Come on, let's see if we can catch him.”

She turned around, hooking an arm around the tall man’s elbow. She led him toward the elevators, chatting about all and nothing. She knew that he had some feelings for Jaejoong. Even though he stood no chance against her brother, she never wanted to break his hope.

They came to an absurd halt when they saw Jaejoong running out from the elevator. His eyes were moist and he covered his mouth with his hand. JiEun followed Jaejoong with her eyes before she let go of Changmin’s arm and ran after him.

Changmin glared fixedly at Yunho as the door slid close again. Seeing tears in Jaejoong’s eyes, his hand trembled in fury. He dumped the paper cup in the nearest garbage and marched to the elevator. He stabbed the up button before stepping inside.

Yunho ruffled his hair in frustration as his eyes lowered to the ground. He didn’t mean to kiss Jaejoong; he just wanted to chase away the sadness and the tears. It hurt to see his ex-boyfriend like that, completely shattered. That pain should have been shared between the two of them and yet, Jaejoong carried it all alone.

“What the hell did you do to him?” Changmin’s angry tone made him look up. Momentarily, he was puzzled to see his friend standing in front of him.

“Nothing, we talked,” Yunho answered, pushing Changmin away so he could reach the numeric keyboard. However, the taller man stood still at his place, not budging an inch. “What?”

“Why did you make Jaejoong hyung cry?”

“I didn’t do anything, we just talked.”

“Then don’t do anything ever again. Stay the away from Jaejoong and Yunhwa.” Changmin spat at Yunho’s face, and all the hatred finally surfaced.

“And what right do you have to say that to me? Yunhwa is my son.”

“I love Jaejoong!” Changmin shoved Yunho against the wall, an arm under his neck to prevent him from moving away. “I love him and that gives me the right to protect him. If I had known that you would treat him like a piece of garbage, I would have never let you have him in the first place. They deserve better, much better than what a coward like you can give.”

Yunho went lax at his words. He knew that Changmin had always liked Jaejoong, but loved? He truly had no idea. "I’m sorry," he uttered. However, what was he apologizing for? He had said the word more than he could count over the last few days. And strangely, he meant it every single time he said it.

“Then stay away. I’m begging you, stop hurting him.” The eyes that met Yunho’s were pleading for understanding, so wishful yet so desperate.

“I can’t,” Yunho breathed out, reaching a hand out to gently squeeze his friend’s shoulder. “I’ve stayed away for far too long, Changmin. Yunhwa needs a father, his father. Please, let me do it.”

The light in Changmin’s eyes vanished and the hardness re his face. He harshly gave Yunho another shove and spun around. His finger pressed the open button and stalled out. The anger was boiling inside him. Why? Why Jaejoong still can’t see him after all these years? What did Jung Yunho have that he didn’t?

Yunho watched Changmin walk away and the little ounce of confidence he had left after Jaejoong walked out on him vanished into thin air. He sighed deeply and rubbed his temples to release the starting headache.

He pushed the number seven on the keyboard and looked down at his wristwatch. He still had half an hour before going to work. A small smile reappeared on his face despite himself as he approached his son’s room again. He watched silently through the small window of the door. Yunhwa was still soundlessly asleep. Now facing the entrance, he took his time to finally observe the small face. Even though Yunhwa inherited most of his genes, he still had a little bit of Jaejoong in him. The rounder face and the high cheekbones were unmistakably his mother’s.

Finally carving the face in his memory, he stepped away. Stopping in front of the information desk on the same floor, he took out his wallet and slipped out his identification card.

“Excuse me, miss,” he spoke politely at the administration worker behind the desk. “My name is Jung Yunho. My son, Jung Yunhwa is currently residing in room 702. I would like to have a copy of the account statement if it’s possible.”

“Are you listed in the patient’s profile?”

“Most likely,” he answered, or more likely he bluffed. He wasn’t sure whether or not Jaejoong ever bothered to list him as Yunhwa’s father. Nonetheless, he decided to have faith as he handed his ID card to her. He watched her typing a few words before the printer roamed into life. She handed him his card back and the freshly printed-out statement.

Yunho let out a low whistle when he saw the balance at the bottom of the paper. Even with the excellent health insurance their company offered, it was still a heavy weight for any parent. More than two months of care and services, the total fees were long past the five digits numbers.

“Do you accept personal cheques as a payment method?”

“Only for less than 5000 dollars,” she informed him. “If it’s more, we’ll need a certified cheque from the bank.”

“Then I’ll come back tomorrow to settle the account,” Yunho smiled and pocketed the papers. “And please, do not tell the kid’s mother about this.”

“Sure,” she nodded at him.

Contented and satisfied by the contribution he was about to make, he left for work. The happiness almost made each of his steps bouncy. Maybe his day didn’t start that badly after all. However, he could already hear Jaejoong nagging about this matter. Jaejoong would never ask anything from him and would never take anything even if he was offered. Yunho really hoped that he would let him do this without hassle. He really wanted to do something for his son and the only thing he could do right now was offer some financial support.

*

When Changmin stalked out of the hospital building, Jaejoong was right beside the entrance with JiEun. His eyes were red from crying and the lack of sleep, but he was calm right now. Changmin took a deep breath and approached them. Tenderly, he ran a hand in the paralegal’s dishevelled hair.

“How are you feeling?”

“A mess,” Jaejoong sighed deeply. Seriously, what was he thinking? That kiss was a mistake. It only reopened the old and undying flame. “I should go home, get a shower and a change of clothes.”

He pushed himself away from the wall, but JiEun refused to let him go. “You can’t drive like that, let me get you a cab ok?”

“It’s ok,