Myungsoo was happy. Why, you ask? Because a few weeks ago, his Appa and Papa told him that he was going to be a big brother. And he was so excited!

His fathers told him to keep it a secret, though. “It’s important that no one else knows,” the told him.

When he asked why, they told him it was because they needed to keep his dongsaeng safe. And if he wanted his dongsaeng safe, he had to keep it a secret. So, he promised that he would.

He was still really happy, though. He hoped he was getting a baby brother like Sungyeol and Sungjong. Having a baby brother meant that they could play cars and cops and robbers and have sword fights.

But, he would also be happy if he got a baby sister. He was sure that she would be so cute like that girl Jiae in his class. And he would teach her fun things and would protect her from all the bullies like a good big brother.

So, even if he wanted to tell everyone, he didn’t. So, whenever they asked why he was so happy, he just told them it was a secret.

In art class one day, they were told to draw pictures of their family. So, naturally, he drew his Appa, making him tall, giving him a blue necktie, and tiny eyes. Then, he drew his Papa, making him just a little shorter than his Appa and making him wear the funny chef’s hat and a holding a frying pan. Then, he drew himself, a tiny little figure with his cat Byeol. And, because he didn’t know what he was getting, he drew a bald baby for his dongsaeng.

He was so happy and proud of how his artwork turned out that he showed it to his friends, immediately.

“This is Appa, Papa, me, and my dongsaeng,” he stated, proudly pointing at each one.

Sungyeol praised him, immediately, saying that he liked the colors.

But, Sungjong tilted his head to the side, his brows furrowed in confusion. “But, Myungie-ah, you don’t have a dongsaeng.”

That was when Myungsoo realized that he accidentally revealed their family secret. At first, he froze in panic, wondering if he should lie. But, his Appa and Papa told him that lying was bad. So, maybe he could tell them the truth. It wouldn’t hurt to tell his friends, right? They could keep a secret.

“This is a secret,” he whispered, urging them to come closer. “But, I’m going to have a dongsaeng!”

“Really?!” Sungyeol exclaimed before Myungsoo quieted him down. “That’s awesome, Myungie!”

Meanwhile, Sungjong kept furrowing his eyebrows. “But, Myungie-ah… you don’t have an umma.”

Well, of course, he knew that. His Papa told him that she lived far away.

“I know,” he said, matter-of-factly.

“So how are you going to have a dongsaeng?” Sungjong asked. “Umma says only an umma can have babies.”

“Appa said that his friend is having a baby and that baby is my dongsaeng,” Myungsoo explained.

“But… Myungie-ah… does that mean that she’s your umma?”

Myungsoo shook his head, feeling a little annoyed now. “No, she’s my dongsaeng’s umma.”

“But… if she’s not your umma… then her baby is not your dongsaeng.”

At that, Myungsoo frowned. “Yes, he is. Appa said so.”

“But, that’s not true,” Sungjong insisted.

“Yes, it is,” Myungsoo retorted, feeling himself shake as his eyes began to water and his hand curled into a fist. “It is! Appa told me!”

Now, it was Sungjong who began to look irritated. “Your Appa is wrong. Only your umma can have your dongsaeng.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Myungie-ah, Jongie-ah, don’t fight,” Sungyeol interjected, looking back and forth between them, nervously.

“I am having a dongsaeng!”

“No, you’re not!”

“Yes, I am!”

“No, you’re not! You don’t even have an umma!”

Something snapped inside Myungsoo. And before he knew it, he had thrown himself at Sungjong, his tears falling freely down his face.

Chaos ensued.

It was the middle of the day, the restaurant’s slow hours, just an hour after lunchtime. Just like any other day, Woohyun went through his orders with precision, every action almost instinctive by now. So immersed was he in his cooking that he almost missed one of the hostesses attempting to get his attention about a phone call for him.

“It’s from your son’s school,” she told him.

That was odd. He had another two hours before Myungsoo’s classes ended. And they only really called if it was really an emergency.

Suddenly struck with worry, Woohyun assigned one of his assistants to finish off the order while he took the call at the front.

“Yes, this is Nam Woohyun.”

“Mr. Nam, we would like you to come to the school today. There was an incident with your son,” the woman on the other end said.

Woohyun’s heart stopped. “Is my son okay?”

There was a sigh from the woman. “Yes… the classmate he hit, however, is not.”

His eyes widening in shock, he replied, “Hit? He hit someone? My Myungsoo?”

“Yes. Please come to the school today as soon as you can. Your son will be in the principal’s office until you arrive.”

“I-I’ll be there…” he managed, weakly before saying goodbye and hanging up.

In a daze, he went back into the kitchen and straight to the head chef, explaining his situation.

“I’ll use this as my break, I’ll be back soon!” he promised, before taking off to the locker room to change.

Without giving himself any time to take a breath, he got into his car and drove to the kindergarten. After quickly finding a parking spot, he rushed to the Principal’s office. One of the staff led him into the office and there, sitting on a chair, his face streaked with tears, was his son.

“P-Papa,” he called out when he saw Woohyun at the door.

To Woohyun’s surprise, Myungsoo’s friend, Sungjong was seated on another chair, far away from Myungsoo, his face red and also streaked with tears.

“Mr. Nam, thank you for joining us,” said the principal, a man named Choi Minseok. “We’re just waiting for Sungjong’s guardian, and then we can discuss what happened.”

Woohyun nodded and took a seat beside Myungsoo, who immediately climbed into his lap, seeking comfort. He patted the little boy’s back, his worry increasing. He knew the two to be best friends, them and their friend Sungyeol. It was rare for them to fight like this. It was concerning, especially since Myungsoo rarely ever got violent. He wondered what had set it off.

When Sungjong’s mother arrived, the Principal had the both of them sit with their sons in front of his desk. And, then, he explained what happened. That the two were in art class. Myungsoo was showing them his artwork. They got into an argument. Myungsoo hit him first and even wrestled the younger boy to the ground. Fortunately, the teacher saw them and immediately separated the two.

“We know that fight and disagreements are normal between children, but this was rather unexpected since these two are friends and Myungsoo has never shown this type of behavior before,” explained Principal Choi.

Woohyun looked down at Myungsoo. “Myungie-ah, why did you do this? Why did you hit Sungjong?”

“He started it!” Myungsoo immediately said.

“Did not!” Sungjong retorted.

“Did too!”

“Did not!”

“You told me my Appa was wrong and that my dongsaeng is not my donsaeng!” Myungsoo then turned to a thunderstruck Woohyun. “Tell him, Papa! Tell him that I’m having a dongsaeng!”

All eyes were on him now.

Woohyun swallowed, nervously. “M-Myungsoo…”

“He also said that I don’t have an umma!”

This time, it was Sungjong’s mother who exclaimed, “Sungjong! Why did you say that?!”

“Because he said his Appa’s friend is having a baby! You said that only an umma can have a baby!” the other little boy defended, his eyes pooling with tears.

Sungjon’s mother began to look sheepish as she immediately scolded her son, telling him that it was a rude thing to say.

Meanwhile, Woohyun’s head began to spin, his chest suddenly aching. His breaths began coming out in pants, as he tried to calm himself down from the sudden barrage of emotions.

Principal Choi began to look embarrassed and a tad bit uncomfortable at the revelations. “I-It… It seems that we have touched on a rather personal matter,” he said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Woohyun swallowed again as he tried to come up with an explanation. In truth, his family affairs were really none of these people’s business. What exactly was he supposed to say to them? That his husband had a drunken one-night stand and knocked up some random woman and how she’s having his baby?

Yeah, like that would go over well.

Woohyun turned to Sungjong’s mother. “I’m so sorry about what my son did to your son. It’s true that Myungsoo is having a dongsaeng and he has been really excited about it. I know that’s no excuse so I will punish him and we will pay for any of Sungjong’s medical bills.”

“Papa!” Myungsoo cried out, suddenly looking terrified but Woohyun shook his head.

“What you did was still bad, Kim Myungsoo. We’ll talk about this more later with your Appa.” He turned to the Principal. “Is he getting punished?”

Principal Choi cleared his throat. “Well, since this the first time this has happened to them, we will only have them go home early today. Sungjong mostly for the… trauma. He can have the rest of the week off to recover,” he said to Sungjong’s mother. “As for Myungsoo, we will have him in timeout for the rest of the week. So, no recess with the other children, he can take his lunch and snacks inside the classroom with a teacher. Is that reasonable, Mr. Nam?"

Woohyun nodded. “That’s fine. Is there anything else?”

The principal shook his head. “No, that is all, you are free to go.”

He and Sungjong’s mother thanked him before leaving the office with their boys. The two kids refused to look at each other.

“I’m so sorry about what Sungjong said, Woohyun-shii,” the woman said to him as they walked. “And, congratulation on the new baby. Are you and Sunggyu-shii adopting?”

“U-Um… No…”

“Ahhh… In vitro then.” She smiled. “I’m sure Myungsoo will love having a dongsaeng. It’s difficult, but life is more fun with siblings.”

Woohyun forced a smile. “Yes, it is. Myungsoo is looking forward to it. But, first.” He stopped walking and turned to his very quiet son. “Myungsoo, don’t you have something to say to Sungjong.”

Myungsoo stubbornly looked away. Sungjong did the same.

“Sungjong, you said some mean things to Myungsoo too. You should also say sorry," said Sungjong's mother.

But, the two refused. The two parents sighed and decided to try another time when the children have calmed down some more. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Woohyun was quiet as he drove back to the restaurant. Every now and then, he snuck peeks at Myungsoo in the backseat. The little boy was pouting, his eyes watering but he held his tears.

During a red light, Woohyun decided to talk.

“You know that what you did was bad, right?” he said, firmly. “You hit your friend, Myungsoo.”

“He… he just made me mad,” the 6-year-old defended.

“And you thought it was fine to hit him just because you were mad?”

“I… I’m sorry.”

“You should be saying that to Sungjong, not me.”

Myungsoo was quiet.

“I know that he said some rude things but you could have asked him to stop. You could have also walked away and told a teacher that he was bothering you.”

No response from the kid. The light turned green and Woohyun continued on his way back to the restaurant. There was no use in asking anyone else to watch him now. Sunggyu was working late tonight. He made a note to call him as soon as they arrived at the restaurant.

All of a sudden, Myungsoo asked, “Is my dongsaeng’s umma also my umma?”

The question shocked Woohyun, almost causing him to lose control of the wheel. Quickly, he pulled over to the side, breathing deeply to get his bearings together.

Myungsoo was four years old when he had asked for the first time about his mother. And Woohyun told him the truth… well, as close to the truth as possible. He told him that his umma was working far away and couldn’t take him with her, so she left him with Woohyun. Back then, the little boy had accepted that simple explanation with no question and went back to playing.

He wondered if Myungsoo remembered what he told him.

“Papa?”

Woohyun shook his head and turned to him. “Are you asking because of what Sungjong said?”

The little boy nodded.

Pinching the bridge of his nose to curb the sudden headache that was forming, Woohyun sighed. “No, your dongsaeng’s umma is not your umma,” he said, honestly. “Your umma is far away, remember?”

Myungsoo nodded. “Then, how come Jongie said that he’s not my dongsaeng because his umma is not my umma.”

Woohyun bit his lip as he tried to wrack his brain for an explanation. How do you explain something as complicated as their family history to a young child?

“Myungie-ah… it’s really… difficult to explain,” he managed. “But, both you and Jongie are still very young. And there are things that adults do that are just… difficult to explain right now. But, when you grow up, you will learn all these things. Right now, this is the truth: you are having a dongsaeng and I know that you will love them very much. You said so, right?”

Myungsoo nodded.

“Then, for now, that’s all you need to know. Okay?”

The little boy still looked unsatisfied by the explanation but nodded anyway.

“And you will be saying sorry to Sungjong when you see him again.”

“But, why? He was mean to me!”

“So do you want to stop being friends with him?”

Myungsoo was quiet at that.

“If you want to keep being friends with Sungjong, you have to say sorry to him.”

Myungsoo pouted.

Woohyun sighed. “Don’t give me that, Kim Myungsoo. You will still be punished. And your Appa will talk to you tonight.”

Resigned, his son nodded.

Woohyun then continued on his way back to work, his head swimming with thoughts. At first, the drive was silent. Then…

“Papa?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry for telling our secret and breaking my promise.”

Woohyun swallowed, his heart aching for his son. “I know you are, baby.”

Things were already getting so complicated for both them and their son. And the baby hadn’t even arrived yet.

That night, when Sunggyu arrived home from work, the first thing he did was talk to Myungsoo in the kid’s bedroom. The little boy told him everything that happened. Sunggyu explained why what he did was still wrong and that he was grounded for a week. No sugar or dessert of any kind. No iPad. Plus, no eating out or trips to the kids’ café or new toys for a month. And he was to apologize to his friend as soon as the other was back in school.

Myungsoo cried. It took everything in Sunggyu not to take back his punishment. When he grew up, Myungsoo would understand why. But, for now, he, as the father, had to stand firm.

When he entered the living room again, he found his husband deep in thought as he stared out the giant windows at the bright lights of the city.

He walked over to wrap his arms around the other’s waist. Woohyun leaned back against his chest.

“How did it go?” he asked.

“As well as it could be.” Sunggyu sighed. “I still can’t believe that that happened. He’s not usually like this. Even if he’s mad, he had never hit another kid before.”

Woohyun hummed. “He asked about his mom today.”

Sunggyu’s eyes widened. “His mom?”

“To be specific, he asked if his dongsaeng’s mom was also his. That was what Sungjong had said to him. That if his dongsaeng’s umma is not his umma, then the baby is not his dongsaeng. ”

At that, Sunggyu felt guilt pricking at his heart and he held Woohyun tighter.

Myungsoo was confused. They didn’t tell him the whole story. He hadn’t even met Eunseo yet. All the kid knew was that he was going to be a big brother.

“I’m sorry, Woohyun,” was all he could say.

Woohyun patted the hand at his stomach, comfortingly. “I know.” He turned around in Sunggyu’s arms. “We knew that it was going to be difficult when we told him about his sibling. But, we can’t keep him in the dark. We just… need to do our best in figuring out how to deal with this entire situation.”

“This isn’t what I wanted for you,” Sunggyu said, feeling his chest aching with the guilt. “I wanted to give you the perfect family, the perfect life. Instead, everything just went to .”

“Hey, let’s not think about that,” Woohyun soothed with a smile. “It’s only been a few weeks, we’ll figure this out.”

Sunggyu placed two hands on either of the younger’s cheeks. “I love you,” he told him. “I love you so much.”

Woohyun’s smile widened. “I love you too.” He held on to one of the hands on his cheek. “We’ll figure this out.”

And all Sunggyu could do was hold him and kiss him, continued to remind him that he loved him. Woohyun was sacrificing so much for him.

How on earth did he get so lucky? And what could he do to repay his husband’s kindness?

“Gyu?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think Sangmi would someday come back and take Myungsoo away from us?”

Sunggyu pulled back to look him in the eye. “Why the sudden question?”

Woohyun shrugged but the worry was still evident on his face. “I guess Myungsoo asking about it just had me thinking about it.”

“Well, if she does, I will make sure that that doesn’t happen. Myungie is our son.”

At that, Woohyun smiled. “That’s right,” he agreed. “He’s our son.”

“And that will never change.” Sunggyu pecked him on the lips. “That, I promise.”

For the next several months, Sunggyu had taken on the role of expectant father. He accompanied Eunseo to all of her doctor’s appointments and brought her groceries every two weeks.

On those days, Woohyun would be anxiously watching the clock, determined to stay up late waiting for him to come home. He always came home at the time he promised him.

His mother asked him once if he was concerned about Sunggyu going to the woman’s home alone.

“I may not trust her, but I trust my husband,” was all Woohyun said and he meant it.

Woohyun had also caught Sunggyu, several times, reading pregnancy books and printing out articles from the internet. He couldn’t help but be amused by that and he thought for a while that maybe he was finally going to get used to this idea.

But, then, one night, Sunggyu came home with a huge smile on his face. On his hand was an envelope that Woohyun was very familiar with: ultrasound photos.

“Woohyunnie, look!” he exclaimed excitedly, showing him the grainy black and white print. “It’s my baby!”

And there it was. A little head, two hands, and two feet. The baby was perfect.

When Woohyun looked at how bright and happy Sunggyu’s face was, he knew he should be happy too. And, yet, he felt a little depressed. Depressed and jealous that Sunggyu was experiencing this part of fatherhood with someone else. Because he, Woohyun, a man, could not give him a child of his own flesh and blood.

And he knew that Sunggyu was aware that he was upset. He made sweet love to him that night, as he always did to reassure him he loved only him and only him.

Woohyun wondered if he was ever going to get used to the idea of his husband having a baby with someone else.

When Eunseo reached her sixth month, she went on maternity leave, just as they agreed.

Rumors spread around the office as to who the father was, but with the help of the higher-ups, Sunggyu managed to shoot the rumors down by piling a huge amount of work for all the departments. All thoughts of the pregnant secretary were soon replaced by agony over deadlines and projects. Meanwhile, Sunggyu got a new secretary, a young man named Cha Sunwoo from another department who had worked there for over a year now.

Unfortunately, giving their subordinates more work also meant more work for the higher-ups. Sunggyu was constantly stuck at the office, working more and more overtime because he absolutely refused to bring work home with him.

On one of those particular days, Woohyun was just leaving work to pick up Myungsoo from school when he got a call from his husband.

“Yeobo, can you do me a favor today, please?” he said, quickly.

In the background, Woohyun could hear Sunwoo’s voice, reminding his boss about his meeting in five minutes.

“Sure, what is it?” he asked, as he unlocked his car door.

“I was supposed to stop by Eunseo’s today to drop off her groceries, but I’m stuck at a last minute meeting. Do you think you could pick them up and drop them off at her place? I’ll text you the list. Please, yeobo? Tomorrow is no good for me, I have to do an on-site inspection, and I really don’t want to wait until the weekend to bring them over to her. She’s out of vitamins.”

They were supposed to hire a housekeeper for Eunseo now that she was staying at home to help her around the house and pick up the groceries, but none have yet to meet Mrs. Kim’s approval. (She volunteered to do the interview process as she was quite intimidating as a lawyer and could threaten to sue any applicant if they revealed anything to the press. She was quite thorough.)

So, while they were waiting on that, Sunggyu was still doing it. And, for today, he was asking Woohyun.

Since that day when they proposed their offer to take care of her throughout the pregnancy, Woohyun had not laid eyes nor spoken to Eunseo. Sunggyu had taken care of most of the interactions with her. Woohyun handled the financials and budgeting. He had no intention of interacting with her at all.

But, the desperation in his husband’s voice right now somehow prompted him to sigh and give in.

“Alright,” he said.

“You’re the best, yeobo! I’ll make it up to you tonight! I love you!”

Woohyun couldn’t help but smile. “I love you too.”

They hung up and the chef had to take a deep breath to calm his sudden nerves.

To distract himself, he called his brother, asking if he could take Myungsoo for a few hours while he did errands. Boohyun worked from home as a freelancer, so he could watch his two-year-old daughter while his wife was at work.

The older told him it was fine so Woohyun picked up his son, dropped him off, went to the grocery store and picked up everything on the list Sunggyu sent himand drove to Eunseo’s apartment.

All these, he did robotically so he could ignore the strange churning in his stomach.

The feeling didn’t stop even as he stood in front of the door to the apartment, wondering if he could really face her again. Seeing his wedding ring glinting at him in contrast to the white handle of the heavy grocery bags, he was reminded that he had no reason to feel like he was intruding. He was simply doing his duty as Sunggyu’s husband. Besides, this was a favor. If he was lucky, he never had to interact with her again.

Bracing himself, he rang the doorbell and waited. It didn’t take long for the door to open.

“Sunggyu-shii-,” Eunseo stopped at the sight of him. “M-Mr. Nam?”

She didn’t look any different from how she was before except for one very obvious thing: her baby bump. She wasn’t wearing a maternity top, but an ordinary one, so the bump was quite prominent.

And Woohyun had to admit… she glowed.

He managed a small smile and bowed. “Eunseo-shii, hello. Sunggyu can’t come today, he’s stuck at a meeting so he asked me to bring your groceries.”

He lifted the two heavy bags in his hands.

“O-Oh… Thank you… Um… please, come in.”

She stepped aside and Woohyun entered the familiar-looking apartment. Nothing much had changed, except for maybe the several pregnancy books and magazines scattered on the table.

“Um, I can take them,” she said, reaching for the bags, but Woohyun shook his head.

“I got them, I’ll help you with these,” he offered, surprised at himself.

“But-.”

“You’re pregnant, remember?” he reminded her. “You shouldn’t be straining yourself.”

Without waiting for an invitation, he headed for her kitchen to put away the groceries. Sheepishly, she followed.

Together, they began to put away everything. The only bit of conversation was Woohyun asking where something went and Eunseo answering him.

“Um… sorry about my kitchen,” she said at some point. “It’s a little small.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Woohyun replied as he packed the meat into the freezer. “It’s just the right size. You don’t need a huge kitchen. When I moved out with Myungsoo, our first apartment was about this size too, probably even smaller. Our kitchen was just like this. But, I made many creations there that my son loved, so it’s all about what you make in here, not the size.”

“I… I’m not very good at cooking, to be honest,” she said and Woohyun turned around to see her blushing.

“Well, you’re gonna have to learn for that little one,” he said, looking at her stomach.

Her hand hesitantly lifted to caress it. “Yeah…” she said.

The reality of the situation hit Woohyun again and he swallowed. Turning his attention back to the groceries, he focused on putting them away.

“Um… would you like some tea?”

“No, thank you. I need to pick up my son at my brother’s.”

“O-Oh… I see.”

Silence overcame them again. Woohyun put away the rest of the groceries, quickly. When he was done, he didn’t hesitate to bid her goodbye and head for the door.

“Wait, Woohyun-shii, please let me talk to you.”

The chef paused halfway to the door, his heart pounding painfully against his chest.

“At least let me apologize to you… please.”

Swallowing, Woohyun schooled his features to be unreadable before turning around to face her. He didn’t say a word.

Eunseo was biting her lip. With a little difficulty, she bowed deep, hands clasped in the middle of her belly, her hair covering her face.

“I-I’m s-sorry,” she said and he glimpsed a tear drop from her covered face to the floor. “I’m so, so, so, so sorry for what I’ve done. I almost destroyed your marriage and ruined your family. And, yet, you and Sunggyu-shii continued to be kind to me.”

“We’re doing it for the child, not you,” Woohyun replied, his tone so harsh that it even surprised him.

“I-I know… Y-Yet… I can’t help but be grateful and I feel nothing but r-remorse.”

Woohyun felt his own eyes watering. How could they not? When he swore that he would never care about this woman. Yet, there she was in front of him, apologizing. He wanted to hate her. He wanted to hate her so much and wished that she was a terrible human being so he could easily hate her.

Yet, he only felt pity for her.

“Why?” he managed in a softer voice.

She tensed before lifting her body from the bow. She flinched a bit in pain yet stood her ground.

“Why did you do it?” Woohyun continued, aware of the lone tear that slid down his cheek. It was followed by another. “You knew he was married. You knew he had a family. So, tell me, Eunseo-shii…why?”

It felt like they were standing there, face-to-face, for hours when it had only been mere minutes. Eunseo couldn’t seem to say a word and Woohyun stayed silent, wanting once and for all to know her side.

He had been lying to himself these past few months, telling himself that it didn’t matter what her story was. That all he needed was Sunggyu’s. That if he simply pretended that nothing had changed, it wouldn’t matter.

It was all a lie. And Woohyun felt like he was going insane.

Eunseo swallowed with a gasp. “When… when I first got into the company, I was really happy… but also insecure. I’m from Busan, you see. And I always feel like everyone is talking about me or making fun of me. But, I didn’t get that vibe from Sunggyu-shii. He was kind to me… and welcoming. He was strict, but I admired how he managed to get everything in order. Then, I was re-assigned to him as his secretary and we spent a lot of time together. He was always encouraging me and telling me I was doing well. I… I fell for him. The next thing I knew, I was bringing him food and snacks and going way beyond my duties as a secretary. I was constantly flirting, wondering how far I could push my boundaries.”

There was an agonizing pain in the pit of his stomach as he watched her talk about his husband with nothing but adoration in her eyes and voice.

“The night of the party, everyone kept pouring him drinks and he kept accepting. I was pretty tipsy, myself and I just couldn’t stop myself from thinking of ways on how to get him to notice me. I had this… delusion that…” She swallowed and looked away. “That he would leave you and go to me.”

Woohyun’s hands curled into fists at his side as the tears continued to fall, but he kept his face at neutral.

“When he asked me to bring him home, I was thrilled because he trusted me. When we got into the cab, he talked about your fight..."

Woohyun remembered that fight. All the screaming and hurtful words they hurled at each other. He also remembered the "I'm sorry's" and the forgiveness the day after -- Sunggyu had been extra affectionate. What he couldn't remember was what the fight was exactly about. Probably something ridiculous.

"And I thought to myself, 'This was my chance. He's upset with his husband. I can make him fall for me.'" Eunseo paused with a deep gasp, brushing her own tears away. "I... I brought him here. I thought I could let him stay for the night so I put him in my room. And… And…”

Woohyun’s eyes narrowed. “And what?” he spat.

She flinched at his tone. “I kissed him,” she said in a soft voice.

Woohyun felt the squeezing in his chest tighten.

“I-I-I told myself once… just o-o-nce… just to know how it felt like… But…” She gasped again, hand clutched at her heart. “I just couldn’t stop… I… I loved him so much… I wanted him so much that I couldn’t stop…” She met his teary eyes with her own. “He kissed me back…”

Woohyun’s heart shattered into pieces.

“… I… I was afraid he would stop… I didn’t want him to stop… So, I turned the lights out… I couldn’t stop myself… I knew it was wrong… But, I let him think it was you who was touching him… who was trying to make love to him…”

Woohyun turned his head away, unable to bear looking at her anymore.

“… at some point, he woke up… and he saw me, I knew he did… I cried then… I cried and told him I loved him…” She laughed, humorlessly. “Pathetic… I was so pathetic… I begged a married man to love me.” She looked up at him. “I don’t know why he didn’t stop me. Maybe he felt sorry for me? My delusional self believed that he wanted me too.” She took a deep breath. “When I woke up the next morning and saw him gone, I realized what I had done. And I realized how incredibly stupid I was. And because of that, Sunggyu-shii kept his distance from me; he told me it was all a mistake. He loved you and would never do anything to hurt you. I felt like… I felt like I lost a good friend and the only person who treated me like I belonged there… I’m sorry… I’m so, so, so sorry.”

After hearing everything, Woohyun felt numb. He didn’t know whether he should act out and throw things or run far, far, far away from here. He could only stand there, watching her as she cried. A part of him knew that it wasn’t good for her, that it wasn’t good for the baby.

But, what about him? Is that what was going to happen from now on? Everything was going to be about her, the pregnant woman. He felt selfish because what about him? What about his feelings? What about his pain?

“And what do you want me to do?” he finally managed, his voice strained. “Do you want me to feel sorry for you?”

She didn’t answer.

“Do you want me to forgive you? You who slept with my husband? You, who took advantage of him in his drunken state?”

“I… I didn’t mean for this to happen! I swear! Woohyun-shii, I didn’t want to get pregnant-.”

“But you did! You ing did! And now what?!”

All of Woohyun’s voice of reasoning was leaving him. He knew he had to get out of there fast before he said something he would regret, before he did something he would never forgive himself for.

“Answer me this, Eunseo-shii,” he said, his gaze steely as he made eye contact. “Do you still love my husband?”

She turned away, not answering, but that was all the answer Woohyun needed.

Without another word, he turned around and rushed out of the apartment, not sparing her another glance.

He was feeling too many things at once. He was upset. He was confused. He was devastated. He was disgusted. And most of all, he was angry.

But, at who, he didn’t know.

“I’m home!”

Tiredly, Sunggyu entered their apartment, rubbing his neck to get rid of the kinks.

What a long day! Just one meeting after another, report after report, demands from the higher-ups. They were all wearing him down!

But, if there was one thing that could always brighten up Sunggyu’s mood after a long day at work was the sight of his family. He wondered if Myungsoo was asleep yet, it was close to his bedtime now. Plus, he was hungry and he knew that Woohyun always had food ready for him. He couldn’t wait!

He made sure to remove his shoes and placed them by the doorway (he had been forgetting many times in the last few weeks, to Woohyun’s chagrin) and went down the little hallway to the living room.

Myungsoo was seated on the couch in front of the T.V., watching a cartoon, his two stuffed cats Byeol and L on either side of him. He looked up when Sunggyu entered.

“Appa!” He jumped out of his seat and ran to his father, holding his arms out for a hug.

“Are you alone out here?” Sunggyu asked, looking around. “Where’s Papa?”

Myungsoo’s smile disappeared, turning into a worried frown. “Papa is in your room,” he replied in a small voice. “Oh, but Boohyun-samchon is preparing my bath!”

Sunggyu’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Boohyun is here?”

“Myungie-ah, is that your Appa?”

Emerging from the hallway that led to the bedrooms was a familiar dark-haired, brown-eyed man with cheeks so similar to his husband: his brother-in-law.

“Boohyun, I didn’t know you were coming,” he stated, brows raised.

“Yeah, I didn’t know either,” Boohyun replied, coming up beside Myungsoo. “Hey, buddy, it’s almost bedtime, right? Take your bath and get ready for bed.”

“Okay!” Obediently, Myungsoo took his toys and headed for his room, leaving the two adults in the living room.

When he was out of earshot, Boohyun turned to Sunggyu with a frown. “You know, if Woohyun had not asked me, I’d punch the hell out of you right now.”

Sunggyu took an involuntary step back. He wouldn’t put it past Boohyun to actually do it. In fact, the last time they met, he did punch him after finding out what he did. It was only Woohyun stopping him that he didn’t punch Sunggyu a second time.

He and his brother-in-law had always gotten along. They were the same age, Boohyun only a couple of months older. Just like any older brother, he had been suspicious of Sunggyu’s intentions at first but eventually warmed up to him. They had become good friends.

He wondered if they still were.

“How could you send Woohyun to your mistress’ house?!” Boohyun continued, his eyes flaring.

“She’s not my mistress,” Sunggu replied, defensively.

“Well, whatever she is to you, that made Woohyun cry!”

At once, Sunggyu felt concerned. “Woohyun cried? What happened? I… I didn’t know, I just asked him for a favor-.”

“Do you ever think about your husband’s feelings, Kim Sunggyu?”

The corporate man’s frowned. “Of course, I do!”

“Then did you ever think that maybe sending him on an errand to your mistress’ house, alone, would do more harm than good?”

“I told you, she’s not my mistress!”

“Whatever! Point is, my brother came to pick up his son, in tears that it scared the kid. He was shaking so much that I wondered how he didn’t get into an accident on the way over, so I ended up driving him home so they don’t get into an actual accident!”

Sunggyu swallowed, the guilt prickling at his heart once more. And the thought of his husband and son being in an accident caused him to silently pray and thank the Gods that it didn’t happen.

“I… I didn’t think anything was going to happen,” he answered, lamely. He turned his head in the direction of the bedroom. “How is he now?”

“He was still crying when I checked on him,” Boohyun answered. “Look, I need to go home. But, you, take care of your husband or I’ll take care of you.”

Sunggyu swallowed and nodded, thanking him for taking his family home. Boohyun took his leave.

Not really feeling hungry anymore, Sunggyu dropped off his things at his home office before going to check on Myungsoo.

The little boy was still in the bath, so loosening his tie and rolling up his sleeves, he helped him bathe, asking him how his day was. When the kid was clean, Sunggyu dried him off, dressed him in footsie pajamas, and brought him to bed. He read him a story, the little boy tucked into his side as he caressed his dark curls, soothingly. Myungsoo fell asleep, right away.

Then, he took care of turning out all the lights in the living room and kitchen, leaving one hallway light on.

At last, he was staring at the closed door of their bedroom, feeling an unpleasant ache in his chest and a churning in his stomach. Slowly, he turned the knob and pushed the door open.

The bedroom lights were out, the only illumination from an opening in the curtains at the window

“Woohyunnie?” he called out as he stepped in.

On the bed, Woohyun was curled up, his arms around his knees, which were pressed against his chest. His face was buried in his arms.

Sunggyu wondered if he had fallen asleep. Slowly, he approached and got on the bed, scooting close to his husband’s silent form. He placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeobo?”

Underneath his hand, the figure twitched.

And, then, Woohyun lifted his head, turning to look at him. Sunggyu met his red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

His heart broke when instead of hugging him or flashing him a smile, Woohyun jerked away, jumping out of bed as his eyes flashed with anger as he looked at Sunggyu.

“H-How could you?” his husband said.

“W-Woohyun?”

“H-How could you let her do that to you?!”

Sunggyu was out of the bed in a flash and walking over to him. Woohyun took several steps back, away from him.

“Y-You let her take advantage of you!”

“W-Woohyun, yeobo, please calm down…”

“Am I not enough for you?! Is that why you let her do those things to you?!”

“Of course you’re enough for me! You’re more than enough!”

“Then why didn’t you tell me she took advantage of you?! And why did you let her?!”

It was then that Sunggyu figured out that Eunseo had told Woohyun. She told him about that brief moment of clarity in his drunken state when he realized that it was not his husband on top of him but his secretary. And, yet, he had still allowed her to do what she wanted to him. In fact, he responded to her.

Why, indeed, did he let that happen when he loved his husband so?

Sunggyu grabbed Woohyun’s arms and pulled him close. His husband tried to tug out of his hold, but he refused to let go.

“Listen to me, please,” he begged. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

He pulled the younger into his arms, hugging him close. Woohyun squirmed but didn’t pull away, simply cried, his tears soaking Sunggyu’s tie.

“S-She took advantage of you,” Woohyun sobbed. “I… I hate her. I hate her. And I hate you, you jerk. I hate you.”

Sunggyu ran a hand through his husband’s dark strands. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

They remained like that for several moments, Woohyun crying and Sunggyu holding him, doing everything he could to soothe him.

In his heart, he knew Eunseo had taken advantage of his vulnerability that night. Not only was he drunk but he was emotionally weak from his fight with Woohyun. But, he welcomed it. He liked it. And that was why he felt so guilty because he eventually said "yes" by kissing her back and holding her. He wasn’t even disgusted by it. He simply let it happen. And, maybe, a small part of him, had delighted in the attention and attraction the woman had for him. 

“Why?” Woohyun asked again, lifting his head from Sunggyu’s chest. “Why did you let her?”

Sunggyu wiped his tears with his thumbs, caressing the plump cheeks along the way.

“Did you feel sorry for her? Is that it? Or maybe you actually liked her? Tell me!"

Sunggyu sighed. “We had a fight, Woohyun."

It was a lame excuse, he knew it was. Yet, it was the only explanation he could think of that made sense because nothing else made sense to him.

"That night… when I finally realized what was happening… I saw her crying," he continued.

He remembered how pitiful she looked on top of him. His memory was hazy, but the sounds of her cries were clear in his head. She was so very heartbroken.

“She begged me to love her. And that was when I realized that even though I didn’t mean to, I had led her on.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Why didn’t I stop her? Until now, Woohyun, I really don’t know. Maybe you’re right and I did feel sorry for her. Maybe it was out of guilt because I made her feel hope when there was none. Heck, maybe I even thought I was just dreaming and that I would wake up next to you! Or maybe... Maybe..."

He had to be honest. He couldn't lie to Woohyun. Not again.

"I... could have been attracted to her... just a little.” He sighed, feeling his own eyes prickle with tears as the guilt overwhelmed him. “Whatever my subconscious’ reason was at the time, it doesn’t change the fact that I will forever be sorry that I betrayed you and hurt you. You, the only person I am in love with and will forever be in love with for the rest of my life. I vowed on our wedding day that I would make you happy and yet, here I am, making you cry over and over again.”

He wiped away the new tears falling down the younger’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll say it for the rest of my life, if I have to, Woohyun.”

Still glaring at him, Woohyun stated, “She still loves you.”

Sunggyu sighed. He knew that too. He tried to keep his distance by keeping their contact to a minimum, but it was difficult the closer she was to her due date.

“She can’t have you,” Woohyun continued. “You’re mine.”

And to Sunggyu’s shock, the younger grabbed him by the collar and crashed their lips together. For a moment, he simply stood there, too stunned to reply to the kiss.

Woohyun’s kiss was sloppy… bruising… desperate… possessive.

The younger then grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and began to tow him towards the bed and pushing him on to it, never breaking the kiss. Sunggyu was running out air, but he didn’t push Woohyun away. Instead, he allowed his husband to take out all of his anger and frustrations on him and his body.

The lovemaking that followed was rougher than their usual gentle and passionate ones. Rarely did Woohyun ever take charge and even more rarely was he this aggressive. Nonetheless, Sunggyu allowed him to nip, bite, and scratch him all over, if it meant that the younger would feel better.

When they were done, Sunggyu felt like he was bleeding everywhere. He was probably marked up with scratches and bruises so he would have to borrow some of Woohyun's BB cream tomorrow. Yet, he voiced no word of complaint, only allowed Woohyun to tuck himself onto his side.

For a while, they lied there in silence, staring at nothing, feeling nothing but each other.

And then, Woohyun gently kissed at a red scratch mark on Sunggyu’s chest. “Sorry,” he whispered, pouting cutely.

He was back to normal.

Sunggyu smiled and kissed his forehead. “I deserve it,” he replied.

“I just got so angry and… everything I had been holding back just… spilled out… I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about, yeobo. It’s me with the sin and mistakes, remember?”

Woohyun nodded, cuddling closer to him.

“I’m sorry I sent you to her place today. I didn’t realize things were going to end up like… that. If I had known, I would have just waited until the weekend.”

“It’s fine. It was about time she and I had a talk.” He looked up at him. “Will you check on her tomorrow? I feel bad that I just suddenly exploded on her like that. Plus, the stress is not good for the baby.”

Sunggyu’s heart warmed. Until now, he still could not believe that he had managed to convince such a wonderful and kind being to be his husband.

“You’re really nice, you know,” he commented, kissing the younger’s hair.

Woohyun chuckled. “Boohyun-hyung says it will someday cause my downfall.”

“It’s also your biggest strength.” He raised Woohyun’s head with his thumb. “And that’s why I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” Woohyun brought his head back down to rest on Sunggyu’s chest. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

“Convince your mother to finally hire a maid for Eunseo. By next week, preferably.”

Sunggyu chuckled at the demand but knew that it was warranted. He figured that it was time, anyway. And if that would make Woohyun feel more comfortable and reassured, then he would do it.

“As you wish, yeobo.”

He would do anything for Woohyun.

A/N: Poor Myungsoo! He had a fight with Jongie! Don't worry, guys. I'm telling you now that they made up. I didn't know where to put it since it didn't go with the mood of the rest of the chapter, so I'll just let you guys know here. Perhaps, in a future chapter, I can write in his point of view again and show you how they made up.

Phew! This was an emotional chapter to write! I really had to get the feeling right for Eunseo and Woohyun's confrontation. It looked so complicated in my head that I had to re-write it a couple of times. It so heavy that it even got me crying!

So, basically, what happened here was that... well... Woohyun exploded. He had kept everything in - his jealousy, anger, and frustration. So when the right buttons were pushed (unintentionally, since I don't think Eunseo expected him to react like), it all came out at once.

So, Eunseo, to me, is not as much of a horrible person. In this case, she's someone who fell so deeply in love with someone that all rational left her. I would even call it simply an infatuation, but hey, love makes some people crazy. I'm sure that a deep part of her is still hoping that Sunggyu would choose her.

And, yes, she did take advantage of a weak and inebriated Sunggyu, but like Sunggyu said, he did give his consent, even though he had no idea why. Sometimes, we just do things and don't know why we did them. That doesn't excuse the fact that they were wrong, though, mind you. In Sunggyu's case, he knew it was wrong and now he's facing the consequences of that wrong.  

And, you guys got a little glimpse of Myungsoo's mother and how much he knows about her! There's a reason why I bring her up (no, she's not coming back, don't worry). 

I'll admit, I had a little fun writing that last part with the angry , even though it wasn't explicit (you all know I don't write , but feel free to use your imagination!)

The title of this chapter comes from VIXX-LR's "Beautiful Liar."

'Til the next one!

**THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN EDITED (SEPT. 12, 2019) AFTER ITS INITIAL PUBLICATION**