Being a single-parent was stressful. He learned that five years ago, but still, after all these years, it did not change the fact that it was still stressful. 

He had to work. Well, working itself was already pain in the ; grumpy boss, loud co-workers, that new female co-worker across his desk who kept eyeing him ever since she joined the company about last month. She thought Seungcheol was going to fall to another office-fling gone wrong? No, not today, not this year, not ever again. He had a kid to support.

Adding to his job, which did not actually pay excruciatingly good, he had to make a home for his son. Cleaning up mess of two people, cooking, doing laundry, mopping the floor, and all the basic. Plus, he still had to take care of the child personally. Help him with his homework, tucking him to bed, talking to him and making sure they have their quality bonding time, still. Not that he's complaining about Hansol, but it was hard to have a job, work at home, and be a good parent for his son all alone at the same time. But actually, now that he thought about it, he might actually be more responsible of a parent than lots of parents out there. No offense to certain someone.

He was glad, really glad, that Hansol was such an angel of a kid, despite their occasional banter about school or homework or vegetables. The last point made Seungcheol frowned every time he went to the local supermarket, like today. The kid latching himself on the cart was also frowning as soon as his father turned to the vegetable isle. He actually did not hate it that much, he could eat some, but still, they don't taste good!

"No," Hansol whined when his dad picked up a bag of beansprout. That one, he liked the least.

"It's good for you." Seungcheol decided to ignore the whine and answered the kid in a sing song manner. He tossed the beansprout in his trolley.

His hand started to pick various kinds of vegetable. Spinach (that's basic), green onions, carrots, radish, zucchini, what else did he need? He glanced at his half-filled cart, scanning all the stuffs he got previously in hope he'd remember what to buy. He got beef brisket, chicken, tofu too, and he got seafood, Hansol's favorite. He calculated everything in his head. Seafood was good for the brain, poultry was good for the protein, tofu and sprouts as well, then he got vitamin C from the carrots, iron from spinach... maybe he could be a bit daring to buy some broccoli or bokchoy? 

"Oh!" The sound of Hansol gasping and suddenly dashing away from him almost made him drop his broccoli and turn it into a bruised vegetable. "Yah- Hansolie!" He called out. What happened to 'stay with Appa' rule?

His hand was about to let go of his cart and run for his kid before the child get lost in the huge supermarket, but his eyes found a familiar figure in the spot Hansol seemed to go to. 

"Josh!" He heard his kid exclaimed, he watched how he crashed to the man who had his eyes wide and lips opened from surprise. The man eventually smiled and chuckled before scanning his eyes around the supermarket, trying to locate his parent. There their eyes met. 

Seungcheol immediately straightened up and gave him a soft nod from afar. 

The cat-like eyes were thinning as he flashed the elder his smile. He took Hansol's hand in his free one, while the other was holding his basket, and walked towards the lonesome father. "Seungcheol-ssi." He greeted when they were close enough. He looked slightly different. He looked so casual. His usually styled to the side auburn lock was let hanging straight down, it did not make him any less appealing though. He was not dressed in his usual polo nor button-up as he always did while working, he was clad in fluffy yellow sweater under the parka he was wearing. So casual, he looked younger this way. 

Seungcheol awkwardly choke back the lump in his throat before muttering a small greeting, and side-eyeing his son. "Don't just run like that, you kid." He retorted silently. 

"Appa was busy with broccoli." Hansol defended himself, scrunching his face with distaste.

Seungcheol wanted to chew his son. He didn't. Instead he was thinking of something to say to the teacher standing in front of him.

"Nice sweater."

"So, you're having broccoli." 

They spoke at the same time. Seungcheol immediately regretted his stupid mouth, what was that for, you old creep. He cleared his throat, it stopped Jisoo from what seemed to be an attempt to snort, and said, "yeah, sort of, stir-fry? In pasta? The kid didn't really like it though." He hoped it would make the younger forget his previous remark.

Maybe Jisoo was just a truly nice man, because he did not resume his almost-snorting face, and instead agreed to change the topic. "Is that so," he pursed his lips, "try making it into some kind of tempura, my mom used to make it when I was small. That's how I started to like broccoli." He chuckled at Hansol's puzzled expression.

It was actually a nice idea. "Do you want me to try making it for you?" Seungcheol asked the child. The said child was still having his judgmental face but he shrugged. That's it. He's so buying the broccoli. 

"So, you're the cook?" Jisoo said after seconds of what seemed to be his internal dilemma. 

Seungcheol sensed the unsureness in his voice, so he flashed him a smile. "Yeah, I have to be. I can't let my growing child eat takeouts, someone had to take care of him and the only person here is me." He said nonchalantly. It was sort of confirming the doubts in Jisoo's head. Now that was sort of understandable why he never saw a mother figure by the child. It was always his father, and it seemed like there was only his father. He did not question anything, he just nodded in understanding silence.

"That's cool. I don't really cook. I mean, look at this." Jisoo shyly showed off his basket. Seungcheol could see packs of ramyun, microwavable rice, eggs, spams, and some easy cook sauce and a pack of pork belly. It actually reminded him of himself when he was younger, before Hansol happened. 

"I won't judge, I was just like that few years ago," He grinned, "ah... The pleasure to be young and careless. But, really, you have to start making real meal, it's healthier." Oh, he's such a dad. And sounded so old.

The way the younger giggled made his tummy almost churned. Why. He sounded so gentle and it felt like that bell from movie 'Polar Express' ringing gently in his ears. Or was it the visual of his crescent eyes when he did so?

He was sort of happy when his son asked Jisoo to go around with them in the supermarket, he felt a bit bad though, they took their time around. His domestic weekly shopping could be tiring for the young man, but the man was always smiling. He seemed to enjoy the Choi's conversation and light banter. ("Can I have those?" "Candies? No, your teeth will be rotten." "Seungkwan's not." "...", he flashed a hopeful look to the teacher, "Vernonie, listen to your Appa. Maybe if you eat your vegetables well, he would gift you one or two?" It was actually so domestic, he couldn't)

"Are you taking the bus?" Seungcheol asked the brunette once he was done paying. The teacher and the child was waiting by the entrance, they were joking around after they attacked the free sample counter of a bulgogi sauce brand. His hands were nursing his two large plastic bags when he reached the two. 

Joshua nodded with his usual soft smile. 

"Can I drive you home? If you don't mind hanging out with us a bit longer." Seungcheol tried his best to look at the younger straight in the eyes without wavering first and stare down at his sneakers. He mentally won when Jisoo did first.

"No- I mean, I like hanging out with... you two," Jisoo almost stuttered, his one free hand waved around, Seungcheol noticed he had an expressive hand gesture, "no, point is, I don't want to be a bother, it's fine really." Jisoo shied down. 

Seungcheol could not suppress his smile any longer. "No, you're not. Please, I insist." He said sternly.

He watched the younger's reddish lips opened and closed once or twice, before curling up slightly. "If you say so, you're quite insistent." The brunette said playfully enough. 

Seungcheol grinned in victory. "Am I pressuring you?" 

The eldest led the three to walk across the parking lot, trying to locate his car among plenty of others. Joshua trailed behind the father and son, he really wished Seungcheol would not face back and see him biting down his own lip to hold back his smile. He really did not, so he dared himself to say, "it's the other way around." 

He noticed the back of the man walking ahead was tensing a bit. He also noticed his ears might not be as red as it was now just a while ago. 

They did not say much when they put every bags on the car's trunk, including Jisoo's. Or when Seungcheol instinctively opened the rear passanger door for Hansol to climb in. Or the way he hurriedly close it before shifting and opening the shotgun door for Jisoo even before the younger managed to do it himself. 

He could not even look at the elder right in his eyes. He muttered a small thank you and went in, waiting for Seungcheol to close the door and finally climb to his own seat in the driver side.

The car ride was rather quiet because the kid slept the whole ride, an effect of sitting in the back, they called it 'sleeping seat'. It was until the black car came to a halt in front of a familiar bricked building. 

Joshua hurried himself to open the door before Seungcheol could beat him to it, god, he's such a gentleman but really, don't bother. Both of them went out of the car quietly and walked around the back of the car where Seungcheol grabbed the handle of his trunk and lifted it up. The younger grabbed his bag after checking it twice and the elder closed the door with a small thud.

Jisoo was the first to break the somehow awkward silence. "Thank you for the ride, Seungcheol-ssi." His lips curled up further, Seungcheol's mimicked him right after.

"No problem," he grinned as he leaned slightly to his car. Oh lord, Jisoo thought. 

Jisoo bowed down and was about to turn his back and walked away when he heard his name called casually. "Jisoo-ya." It would be lying if his heart did just not jolt and twist at the endearment.

He tried to control his expression and turn to the father, "yes?"

Seungcheol swallowed his own saliva. Hard. "Tomorrow," he started nervously, "do you think you could come over for dinner?"

The eldest watched the younger blinked rapidly. He watched his eyes twinkled and his cheeks tinted with a glow of pink. It was adorable. In a friendly way. Yeah. Definitely. 

Again, he watched the younger bit his lower lip, his eyelash fluttered as he shift his gaze from Seungcheol to the ground and back to the man. "Will you insist if I say no?" He looked up shyly. A small curl was playing at the corners of his lips.

Something inside the raven-tress' tummy seemed to wreck. That guy was something. He's shy, but his words were daring and witty at the same time. But he's not losing. Not this time.

"Yes," he stepped forward, not that he hope his flirting skill had not falter, because he was NOT flirting, he just wished it was not a creepy move, "I insist. Until you agree." He chuckled lightly. The younger male followed suit.

"You left me with no choice." He shrugged playfully. Seungcheol wished he did not just do that, was this even an appropriate manner between a teacher and his pupil's parent, even if he's single.

He stepped back. "Should I pick you up?"

And be more of a bother? No, thanks. Joshua shook his head. "No, you can just tell me the address?" 

"Cool," Seungcheol shrugged his shoulder, "then can I have your number? I'll text you the address." 

Joshua eyed him in disbelief. That was sort of smooth. His face was clearly showing amusement as it reflected on Seungcheol's growing smirk. He did not just...

Seungcheol fished out his phone from his jeans pocket and unlocked the piece of technology before him. He tapped several times before handing the younger the phone, in which his slender finger tapped down his number before returning it to the owner. "There."

"Great," Seungcheol smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow, Jisoo-ya." 

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IM A VERY SLOW WRITER IM SO SORRY;;;; But my deadline is done and I'm off uni for Winter break Yawawooooooo~~~~ anyway, once again, thank you for reading this fic~~~