The promise to meet up more often was followed through thoroughly by all of four of you. Less busy week day afternoons saw you, Taekwoon, Hongbin and Sanghyuk chatting up a storm in the schoolyard and weekends ensured playdates and lunch that always turned into dinner, baths and if both children were lucid enough, a movie to round off the day. Sleepovers were common and you could not deny that having such a reliable backup in the form of Jung Taekwoon was nothing short of a miracle. Of course Hongbin seeing his now best friend so often meant that some weekends that he was supposed to spend with father was delayed to the next day or some other day in the week.

Wonshik, in the spirit of refusing to heed your words, offered to drop and pick Hongbin up from his playdates and sleepovers even though you and Taekwoon already had an agreement that saw the older man either dropping off your son at home or at school along with Sanghyuk. You refused every offer and every time your ex-husband served to bring it up again, it made you uncomfortable. You did not like the idea of the two of them meeting for whatever reason and you were sure Wonshik would get ideas that honestly held no water whatsoever. You were perfectly happy to tell him that Sanghyuk's 'parent' was more than happy with the current arrangement you had. Your only wish was that the meddling mothers at the pre-school would keep to themselves when it was Wonshik's turn to pick up Hongbin from school.

The weeks you spent with the lawyer showed you a completely different man than you assumed him to be. Taekwoon was caring, competitive, utterly hilarious and so surprisingly dorky that you wondered how he managed to pull off his calm and collected demeanour at all other hours of the day. You also learned that he was an excellent cook in his very, very limited yet specialized fields. The authentic Japanese cuisine he made for you one weekend ensured that you were never going to cook anything remotely Japanese, so delicious it was.

It was Friday afternoon at the pre-school and you looked forward to the weekend, in part because you started anticipating seeing Taekwoon and Sanghyuk in some capacity.

"(F/n)!" you heard your name being called and looked around the filled courtyard to find Taekwoon waving at you.

"Hi!" you greeted with a grin as the two of you made your way to your children's classroom.

"I need to ask a favor." Taekwoon asked, the words tumbling out of his mouth at an alarming rate.

You momentarily paused to look at the taller, flustered man. "Of course. Is something wrong?" you asked worriedly, your brows furrowing.

He let out a huff of laughter; awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Some friends of mine decided to meet up last minute tonight, I was wondering if you'd look after Sanghyuk? It'd be too short notice to call his babysitter." Taekwoon explained, seeming quite embarrassed. You supposed it was because of how unexpected it was.

You could only giggle at his mannerisms. "It'd be a pleasure to have him over. Hongbin always seems to have extra energy stored during the weekend, so I'm more thankful than anything." you teased.

Taekwoon's cheeks colored seeing your radiant smile. He wondered how you always managed to take things in such positive stride.
"I owe you one." he sighed in relief. He still felt a bit flustered and wished he could loosen his tie that felt like a noose around his neck without looking like some immature schoolboy.

"Better start writing those promissory notes Lawyer Jung." you said, throwing a playful glance his way before both of you were bombarded by two energetic bundles.

"Mama!" "Dad!" Hongbin and Sanghyuk greeted in tandem, their arms wrapped around both of your respective legs.

"Sanghyuk, how would you like to come home with us today?" you asked the boy excitedly on your haunches in front of him, successfully intercepting Taekwoon asking his son the exact same thing.

"Really?!" both boys asked, looking at each other with wide eyes.

"Hmmm. I'm meeting some of my friends tonight. I'll be back to pick you up later." Taekwoon promised, smoothing down his son's hair with affection.

"Cool!" Sanghyuk exclaimed, immediately turning to his best friend for a high five. 

"Looks like you were the only one panicking." you joked, standing to your full height. 

"I don't panic." Taekwoon denied; his face not exactly keeping up with his bold faced lie. It was worth it to see you laugh again, he thought. "I'm sure you have things to do and I didn't want to take advantage of your kindness." he admitted.

It was your turn to be flustered. You attempted to hide your reddened cheeks by collecting Hongbin's backpack as you quietly swooned. How did he say such things without so much as a blink?!

"N-not at all! You've been a big help to me as well and Sanghyuk is always enthusiastic about my cooking, it's hard not to enjoy having him over." you dismissed with an attempted nonchalant wave of a hand. 

"If it gets too much, let me know." Taekwoon replied seriously.

'Did men like him really exist?' you mentally squealed before collecting yourself. That group of moms were starting to get to you. 

You merely nodded with a peaceable manner; unsure if you trusted yourself to say something that would not embarrass you. 

"I'll come around to drop off Sanghyuk's things in about two hours?" he asked after quickly sparing a glance at his watch.

"Yeah, that's fine. Don't stress about forgetting anything. There's hardly anything Hongbin has that Sanghyuk doesn't." you replied kindly.
Why is it you always knew how to put him at ease as though you could read his mind? Taekwoon took a moment to stare at you in wonder.

"That makes sense." he agreed, a smile gracing his features. He glanced at his watch again. "I think you should getting going. Traffic should start soon. The only thing worse than one one crabby child, is two." he replied, eyes sparkling in amusement.

"You should write a book. 'Wisdom on Life and Children' is what you should call it." you responded with a laugh.

"You get half the royalties for the name." Taekwoon bantered and the comfortable air between you drew out another laugh that resembled more of that girlish giggle you had not heard in a while.

Deciding it was indeed time to get going, you and Hongbin allowed Sanghyuk and Taekwoon to say goodbye to each other. You watched in amusement as Sanghyuk said something that sounded as though he were bullying his father more than anything. It was cute to see how close the pair were.

"Give me a call when you're on your way. See you later!" you greeted before walking away; Sanghyuk and Hongbin each holding one of your hands.

"He's going to ask her out first." one of the nearby mothers whispered. The group watched the handsome Lawyer Jung watch the newly single Kim (F/n) with lingering eyes and a smile on his face.

"She is. I've never seen her laugh like that with anyone but Wonshik." one of the older women disagreed.

"Exactly. Just because she's laughing with him doesn't mean she's over her ex." the third woman jumped in, seemingly annoyed with her friends' assumptions.

"I'm taking bets." the fourth mother exclaimed with a laugh; holding up her smartphone.

After dropping off Sanghyuk's things at your place, Taekwoon made his way to the upscale restaurant slash bar where his friends promised to meet. Being the punctual man he was, the lawyer was hardly surprised to find that he arrived first and was thankful all of them had the foresight of making a reservation.

Not bothering to contact his friends as he knew they would arrive soon enough, Taekwoon took to ordering a glass of water as he waited. Normally when leaving his son with his babysitter, he would find his thoughts occupied with whether Sanghyuk was lonely or upset that he left him for a few hours. With you however; the thought never occurred to him. He assumed it was because of your maternal nature that Sanghyuk seemed to immediately take to. Seeing his child at ease earlier that day absolved him of any lingering guilt he felt. Being both a single father and a lawyer meant that he barely had any time to himself and in the dim lighting of the restaurant and the distant jazz playing in the background, Taekwoon allowed himself to de-stress. He let go of all thoughts of work, an exercise that always proved difficult and most of his worry over his son, secure in the knowledge that if anything was wrong not only would you let him know, you would probably know exactly what to do. So far, he enjoyed the frequent updates you sent him and he wondered if you felt the same way when he did it.

Taekwoon was surprised that only fifteen minutes passed when three loud figures suddenly bombarded his table. It had been a while since all of them met up, much had changed and the usual camaraderie he felt dissipated when he looked at one of his long time friends.

"My dance class ran overtime. Sorry." Hakyeon apologized, taking the seat beside him; their oldest friend was still dressed in his athletic wear as proof.

"Yeah, Wonshik and I were dealing with a difficult client." Jaehwan answered with a huff of annoyance as him and Wonshik sat across from him.

"The only thing worse than a client who doesn't know what they want is an indecisive client." Wonshik added with laughter.

Taekwoon looked at his friend, a foreign feeling of anger accompanying it. "You could say that again." he added dryly; waving a over a waiter nearby.

He could feel Hakyeon's knowing eyes on him and was thankful the man decided to stay silent. "Tough day at the office?" he asked instead.

"It never ends." Taekwoon answered honestly. "I finish one case and before I know it, three are on my desk." he groaned.

The other three members of the table laughed with the ability to sympathize with an unforgiving workload.

The table orders drinks ranging from beer to a more traditional choice of soju accompanied by substantial orders of food that would serve as their dinner. The number of side dishes warranted an additional yet smaller table.

The four men talk, catching each other up on their lives. They talk about sports, their work and hobbies. The atmosphere was friendly enough until Jaehwan, in all of his tipsiness, brought up love lives. Taekwoon had been waiting the entire evening for that particular subject to come up, if only to give his friend the third degree. He waited patiently as Jaehwan prattled on about some girl he was seeing. She did not seem to be serious even though he wanted more. Hakyeon piped up about a woman in his dance class that seemed to like him. He liked her well enough but seeing he was the teacher, he was unsure if it would be unprofessional to take her out on a date. Taekwoon bided his time, even playing along while giving advice and when he felt he waited far too long he brought up the subject.

"I heard you got divorced." Taekwoon stated, looking pointedly at Wonshik. It was obvious, even to the more inebriated members of the table, that Taekwoon was not impressed.

"I thought we were keeping it light." Hakyeon attempted to defuse the situation; going so far so as to top up everyone's glass with their alcohol of choosing.

"It's a question." Taekwoon insisted, his eyes never leaving Wonshik, who took an extra large gulp of his drink.

"I did." his speech slightly slurred but all of his faculties were present. "I cheated on my wife." he admitted, his eyes staring at the highly polished table in front of him.

"And you're shameless enough to admit that?" Taekwoon replied with disgust.

"Told 'im not to do it." Jaehwan added, his brown eyes glazed as he popped a diced radish into his mouth. The older man turned to his colleague and friend, now on the cusp of being drunk and threw him with the very same radish he was about to eat. "Hey, Wonshik, why did you do it? Hmm? Some of us can't even get a serious girlfriend but you...you...had a wife...who'd do anything for you and! And! a son." Jaehwan slurred, his words harshly emphasized.

"I don't know okay!" Wonshik yelled, a hand gripping his hair. "I don't know. She was just...she kept hitting on me and eventually I just couldn't stop myself. I don't love her. I feel nothing for her. All I want is my wife back." he choked out and if it had been a different situation that did not involve him being the guilty party, Taekwoon would have felt sorry for him.

"Ex-wife." Taekwoon corrected. "Do you know how pathetic you sound? It doesn't matter that she flirted with you. You're a grown man - a married man with a child.

You're responsible for your own decisions." he admonished as though Wonshik were a witness to be cross-examined on the stand.

Hakyeon placed a hand on his shoulder, a sign telling him to calm down and at least attempt to maintain his neutral position. 

"Do you still see her?" Hakyeon asked, mildly curious; he had long been a polite presence in the debacle that occurred between his friends but the effects of the alcohol began to take over. From his peripheral he could see Jaehwan voicing his agreement.

"I haven't spoken to her in months." Wonshik said, reaching for a bottle of beer and soju - mixing it until the foam of the combined mixture reached top of his glass.

"So you...you h-haven't ended it?" Jaehwan hiccuped, his face flushed from drinking.

"She got the idea." Wonshik's jaw clenched. "I don't want to talk to her. I don't want to see her. I only want to see (F/n)." he insisted with fierceness. 

"You want your ex-wife back so badly but you don't even have the courage to officially end things with your mistress? I never thought you were this pitiful." Taekwoon berated Wonshik, the alcohol in his system preventing him from being polite in any form.

"Not all of us can Husband of the Year like you. I'm human. I make mistakes!" Wonshik countered, his baritone voice booming.

"And your wife doesn't have to be dying for you to be faithful to her!" the lawyer bellowed in return. The comment shut Wonshik up. He knew the pair across from would assume he was purely speaking about what happened with his wife but the only woman on his mind at that moment was you.

Immediately Taekwoon reached for his glass and forced to himself to take his friend's silent advice. The lawyer struggled when he remembered how broken you looked when you told him of your divorce. He remembered how you twirled your ring round and round your finger, debating whether or not it would hurt you more to remove your wedding band once and for all. He remembered the embarrassment evident on your face when you told him about Wonshik's cheating even when you were innocent. It was difficult for him to let go of his anger when you deserved none of what happened to you. Moreover, he could hardly believe Wonshik would cheat when he was married to a woman like you. You were beautiful and your personality that shined through made you even more stunning in his eyes. You worked hard, were considerate to everyone around you and if you had not told him about how you had been struggling in the last few months, he would have bet all the money in his bank account that parenting was effortless for you. 

As if on cue, his phone vibrated and without pause, he opened the message.

Kim (F/n) (22:32 pm): Help! My living room has been turned into the headquarters for two rowdy four-year-olds! What do I do Mr Lawyer? 

Laughter bubbled in Taekwoon's throat at your words. Were you always so cute? You sent him an attached picture of Hongbin and Sanghyuk sitting among the chaos of a hastily built pillow fortress, dressed in ridiculous outfits he supposed were ought to be superhero costumes.

To: Kim (F/n) (22:34 pm): The only thing you can do: infiltrate and shut it down.
To: Kim (F/n) (22:34 pm): If not, bring out the big guns. Ice-cream.

"New wife-to-be?" Jaehwan asked cheekily from across the table; any restraint from cursing or being his usual preppy self all but vanished in the face of the amount of empty bottles littered on his side of the table.

Taekwoon's eyes shot up to see curious looks sent his way and only then realized that he was probably smiling to himself like an idiot again.

"Sanghyuk's at a friend's. He's building a pillow fort apparently." Taekwoon replied, ignoring his friend's sensationalist questioning. 

With that statement, the conversation at the table was safely navigated away from more dangerous waters. They discussed how his son was adjusting to his new surroundings and whether he was making friends. The lawyer found it interesting that Hakyeon pretended as though his son attended a different school.

Rounding off their evening with fluff talk, the four men paid for the sizable bill while promising to meet up more often from that point on. Jaehwan was so blind drunk by then that the trio bet he would barely remember all the downright embarrassing things he said the next morning. Doing his friend a solid, Wonshik volunteered to take his friend home with him - if only to ensure he did not do anything stupid like call his ex.

When the pair left, Taekwoon needed no prompt from his friend to know that the older man wished to speak with him - no doubt about earlier.

Kim (F/n) calling

A smile instantly returning to his face like a light switch, Taekwoon excused himself to a quieter part of the restaurant to answer the call.

"Hello." he greeted the woman on the other end of the line.

"Hi! Just thought I should tell you your plan was genius." you replied with a giggle, wrapping yourself in a blanket as you sat on the couch. "They're sleeping now." you added.

"I've yet to see a child refuse sugar." Taekwoon replied light heartedly, an intoxicated laugh not far behind.

"Oh! You're probably still with your friends, I just wanted to give you an update." you quickly replied as you remembered your mistake. You facepalmed at your eagerness.

"They just left." the older man replied, putting you at ease and not quite ready to drop the line just yet.

"Good...great." you sighed in relief. "I also wanted to let you know that you can leave Sanghyuk with me tonight."

Listening to your calm voice speaking and the words that flowed from your lips, Taekwoon was convinced you were an angel in disguise.

"Thank you for the offer but-" Taekwoon began to refuse your overwhelming kindness only to find himself being interrupted.

"But nothing!" you playfully denied. "Look, it's late. I'm sure you're tired from the evening and alcohol never makes it better. Besides, it might be difficult for Sanghyuk to go back to sleep with all the bustling. Enjoy your night off and come early tomorrow if you miss him so much." you offered. You could hear his slurred speech and worried as to how he would juggle himself and a sleeping child.

"Again, I owe you one." he huffed in fondness. 

"Don't mention it." you answered. It was no trouble for you. "Did you enjoy this evening?" 

"I did. Although drunk arguments tend to happen." Taekwoon added thoughtfully. It was putting the earlier situation mildly but that was what it amounted to.

"They always apologize in the morning." you amended. Anyone who had ever been drinking with friends can attest to that.

"Perhaps." he answered non-committedly, peering at the table where Hakyeon sat looking at him.

"I don't want to keep you too long since you sound worn out but don't forget to take a taxi or call a designated driver okay?" you reminded firmly. There was a time you used to say the exact same thing to Wonshik on his nights out but that was a long time ago now.

"I'm ahead of you there. I left my car at home." he answered; glad you were unable to see his cheeks flushing at your concerned words.

"That's good. And don't forget to put some water and aspirin next to your bedside table, I'm sure you'll have a bit of a headache tomorrow." you continued your sagely advice. You knew how hard it was to be on your own and you could imagine waking up with a hangover would be even less kind than normal days.

"Noted!" Taekwoon responded, feeling his chest flutter with warmth that had nothing to do with the alcohol in his system. He did not want to say goodbye just yet but he noted Hakyeon making his way over and wished to get done with whatever talk he wanted to have. "I have to go but I'll call you when I get home?"

"You stole the words out of my mouth! I'd appreciate it." you thanked and just like the many other things he said, you liked the way it sounded.

You both said your goodbyes and hung up. In the few moments he was alone, the lawyer felt himself overwhelmed with the force of your words. He felt his eyes sting. How long has it been since someone had been worried about him? Reminded him to put water next to his bed much less have someone to call when he got home? He had no right to be so overcome, so excited over the prospect but it had just been so long. 

"Have you thought of staying away?" was the first thing Hakyeon asked him. The older between them must have figured out he was on the phone with you.

"And why would I do that?" Taekwoon turned to his long time friend, now recovered from his moment of vulnerability.

"She's Wonshik's wife." he reminded.

"Ex-wife." Taekwoon corrected. "Again, why should I?" he asked.

"Do you have feelings for her?" Hakyeon asked point blank, his ever observant eyes never leaving him.

"We're friends and so is our children." he answered, his tone blase as he watched the waiters begin to clean up for the night.

"They haven't talked things through properly yet." Hakyeon stressed; remembering what a mess Wonshik looked like earlier. You seemed to share the fatigue lately.

"I know that." his mind flashed back to the few times your former marriage came up in conversation.

"You're his friend. One of his oldest." Hakyeon added.

"I am and if you think I made friends with (F/n) because of the connection; you're mistaken. I had no idea who she was before I went to her home." Taekwoon explained. He could be calculating if the occasion called for it, but this was pure coincidence.

"Yet I'm guessing she doesn't know that." he replied.

"She spoke to me as a third-party; a fact she appreciated greatly. Are you aware that she isn't taking it as well as you assumed? What (F/n) needs, more than Wonshik, is a friend." Taekwoon all but hissed; his naturally soft voice almost inaudible with irritation.

"And that's you?" the older questioned, his arms folded.

"If you're worried about something happening between us, that's out of my control. I know they need to speak it out but give her time. She needs it." he said. "You know, for the first time in three and a half years, I can think about my wife without hurting, without guilt or helplessness. If I can help her how she's helped me without even knowing, I'd be happy." Taekwoon added quietly, his eyes directed at the illuminated view of the city through the large glass windows.

Hakyeon sighed, any fight he had remaining left. "I was worried you'd complicate things." Hakyeon admitted. "I'm not against her moving on and if that was what she wanted, I'd support her. What I can't support, is her moving on without having put this matter properly to rest. You were in Japan when they dated and got married, so I don't blame you for not knowing. But she was so in love with him and I know you wouldn't believe me, but Wonshik loved her. He does love her. Feelings like that don't just go away even when something bad happened." the tanned male explained, the past seven years playing out in the front of his mind.

"Then isn't it even more important that she's in the right state of mind when doing so?" Taekwoon asked, his voice never reaching above it's soft tone. He gathered his things, ready to make his way home and call you. "You don't have to worry about me hurting her. But know if I think Wonshik will hurt her again, I'll stop him." he nodded to his friend, leaving to find the taxi probably already waiting for him.

As Taekwoon sat at the back of the private taxi on the way home, he allowed himself to forget about his most recent confrontation in favor of the phone call he had with you. Before he knew it he was scouring the internet for the perfect bunch of flowers to gift you with in the morning. He added a few other things as well and made himself believe it was the alcohol's handy work.

You finally moved yourself to your bed, feeling wonderfully exhausted from the busy day you spent with the two boys. Though you would have loved to clean the house, you knew you would be up early the next day anyway. The thought of seeing Taekwoon in the morning made you more excited than you cared to admit, but it still found you laying awake with a smile on your face.

Your phone rang and thinking it was Taekwoon calling you to confirm he was home, you answered without hesitation.

"And here I was thinking you'd never call." you answered playfully.

On the other end of the line, Wonshik heard your playful laugh with a clench of his heart. He knew immediately that it was not meant for him but he could not stop himself for imagining for just a moment, only one, that you were indeed waiting for him to call. 

"(F/n), Honey, I miss you." Wonshik choked out, unable to go without hearing your voice any longer. He knew Jaehwan was passed out in the guest bedroom but even if he was awake and listening, he did not care. He did not care who heard because it was the truth.

You gulped, your heart racing. You should have looked at your phone before answering, you berated yourself. Did he enjoy hurting you like this? Giving you everything you wanted only after he messed up? How you longed to hear those words once upon a time. But you refused to give into that way of thinking. You refused to once again acknowledge the empty space beside you - not when you just became used to it.

"Go to bed Wonshik. You're drunk." you firmly replied taking note of his near incoherent speech patterns.

"I don't want to. I want to hear you voice; your laugh. Let me come home. I can fix this. Give me a chance please. I still love you." he pleaded, clinging to his smartphone as though it were his life line.

"You're hurting me. Please stop saying those things. We can't go back." you countered and you knew better. You knew better than to let him prattle on like this.

"It hurts not being around you anymore. I regret it. I'll do better. I'll be better." he carried on as if you had given him permission.

Your phone vibrated again.

Jung Taekwoon calling

You never felt so thankful so as to see his name appear on your screen.

"I have another call. I can't keep doing this Wonshik." you said with finality before ending the call.

"Calling to let you know I got home safely." Taekwoon immediately said, climbing into bed after changing into his sleepwear.

"Glad to hear that!" you cleared your throat, attempting to sound cheerful.

"Did something happen?" he detected the heaviness in your tone and the strain in your words. He ventured a guess who it could be.

"Wonshik drunk dialed me." you answered, dropping the fake cheerfulness. It only made you more exhausted.

"Should I get a restraining order for you?" Taekwoon joked in an attempt to hear your laugh, if only fainly. He succeeded.

"I'll let you know." you replied with a little laugh. Why did he always make you feel better?

"I know it doesn't mean much coming from me but, take your time. Don't let him strongarm you into getting back together. If you need to, avoid him unless it comes to Hongbin. And if you need someone to talk to, I'm here." Taekwoon implored, even more determined to back you after the events of the evening.

You eyes teared up, touched at the sentiment. "I appreciate it more than you know. Thank you." you replied, annoyed at how foggy your voice became because of the tears.

"If you want to thank me, you should sleep. If one of us is going to be unpleasant, let it at least be me with my hangover." he said mischieviously.

"You have a point there." you conceded, laying yourself down on your pillow. As if he had some sort of magical powers, you felt your eyes drooping with sleepiness. Or perhaps his voice was just that calming.

"Sleep well." he greeted before disconnecting. 

Feeling the effects of sleep himself, Taekwoon quickly canceled his delivery order in favor of the idea of picking your gifts up from the florist himself. Though the delivery would barely take twenty-four hours to your home, he thought the need for a little brightness in your life was more urgent.