Seungcheol’s days following that incident with Jeonghan have been off. And it wasn’t the kind of off where he was messing up his work, or being clumsier than usual—no, it was the kind of off that was emotional rather than physical. He didn’t take the opportunity to joke around as much, his smiles were dull, and his laughs were less than half-hearted at best. It had gotten to the point where even Hansol was beginning to notice his father’s unusual behavior, resulting in the young boy to become a bit distressed himself; Hansol had taken to clinging onto Seungcheol even more than usual and heartbreakingly questioning whether Seungcheol loved him. Seungcheol tried his best to rebuild his facade that had been quickly broken down, but it wasn’t easy; it felt like none of his pieces fit together like they used to anymore.

“Mr. Hansollie’s dad, you passed my Mommy,” Tzuyu informed Seungcheol softly from the back seat, and it took everything in Seungcheol to not slam down on the breaks. Seungcheol turned the block and made his way back towards Jihyo’s workplace. He slid up to the curb where Jihyo was still standing, a wide smile on her face as usual. Seungcheol rolled down his window and Jihyo’s laugh made him feel more at ease than he has for what feels like forever.

“Come here often?” He asked, a lopsided smile on his face. Jihyo raised a brow at him, not quite buying his line and she made her way to the other side of the car, getting in. “Not a fan of cheesy lines?” Seungcheol asked, watching Jihyo as she got situated in the passenger’s seat with practiced ease; putting her bags and papers in every nook and cranny with a lot less awkwardness than she had before (it took her a few trips to stop trying to hold all of her things in her hands).

“Don’t get me wrong, Cheol, I absolutely love your cheesy lines—I’m practically swooning, but…” Jihyo trailed off, glancing away for a moment with a faltered smile. Seungcheol was about to question her to go further, but Jihyo turned back towards him with her usual brightness. “can we go to your place today? I mean, it’s Friday, and I’m sure the kids would love to play some more?” Jihyo turned back towards the kids and they cheered happily. Jihyo looked back towards Seungcheol and his face must have given him away before he even said anything because Jihyo cheered along with the kids and settled back into her seat. Seungcheol grinned and shook his head, amused, and turned back into to face in front of him and finally start on the way to his apartment.

Throughout the short drive, Seungcheol’s mind wandered once the children began singing along to the radio that Jihyo (another thing she became comfortable with doing). He wondered what it was exactly that Jihyo was going to say earlier; he wondered if his “off” attitude was even noticeable to Jihyo? It wasn’t weird that Sunmi noona noticed how off he was the moment he had come to drop Hansol off the following school day, he expected that she would, but for some reason, Jihyo noticing how off he’s been came off as a bit of a surprise for him.

“Thinking hard or hardly thinking?” Jihyo asked Seungcheol in a lilt, and even though it was short, it was sweet and had Seungcheol craving more.

Seungcheol shook off his thoughts and chuckled. “Both, honestly, but more of me just thinking too hard...” Seungcheol replied. Jihyo hummed, and Seungcheol felt her eyes on him for a few moments before his shoulder became much warmer than it was before. He glanced to the side and Jihyo’s hand was on his shoulder and her smile was hard to read, but it wasn’t unkind. Seungcheol softened, and in a moment of daringness, he patted Jihyo’s hand and left it with a squeeze. Jihyo slipped her hand off of Seungcheol’s shoulder with her own squeeze and they rode the rest of the way to Seungcheol’s apartment comfortably.

“Well, we’re here,” Seungcheol pulled into his apartment complex’s parking garage smoothly, and turned the car off. The two parents got out of the car and without even saying a word, Jihyo grabbed the kids’ things while Seungcheol grabbed the kids. Tzuyu leaned into Seungcheol easily now, hiding into his shoulder as she plays with Hansol. Seungcheol chuckled at the children’s playing, and he almost passed by his apartment if it weren’t for Hansol calling it out.

“You’re really out of it, huh?” Jihyo laughed, but it wasn’t like her usual laughs. Seungcheol set the children down and fished his keys out of his pocket, unlocking the door and letting the children in first, then Jihyo, before heading inside himself.

“Yeah...I guess I am,” Seungcheol responded slightly late. “kids, take your shoes off properly, alright?” Jihyo sat the things in her hands down and attended to the kids while Seungcheol took their things and put them up properly. He sat Jihyo’s things down on the couch and he took Hansol and Tzuyu’s to Hansol’s room. As he was leaving Hansol’s room, the kids ran past him with excited giggles and babbles about Tzuyu meeting all of Hansol’s toys. Seungcheol smiled and headed back into the living room.

“Hey, Hyo, I’m gonna break down really quick, make yourself comfortable—well, even more comfortable, I guess?” Seungcheol snorted as Jihyo had already stretched herself out on Seungcheol’s couch and the television.

“Okay~!” Jihyo called lazily from behind the couch, raising a hand and waving at Seungcheol. The man just sighed and laughed before heading back to his room, peeping in on Hansol and Tzuyu along the way to see if they were still playing nicely (they were, of course). Seungcheol took his time dressing out of his work clothes, trying to think about just how off he’s been lately without really thinking about why because he knew that the moment he thought about the why , he’d get a lot worse than whatever was happening with him lately. Ultimately, Seungcheol decided that the slower he went about getting changed, the longer he had time to think, so he picked up the pace and got comfortable so he could head back into the living room with Jihyo.

“You’re not sleep, are you?” Seungcheol joked dryly as he entered the living room. Jihyo had probably long since moved from lying down on the couch to resting comfortably against the arm, legs tucked neatly under her.

“Any second longer and I would have been knocked out,” Jihyo’s joke was just as flat as Seungcheol’s.

“Snacks?” Seungcheol asked, hanging off the doorway of the kitchen.

“If it makes the conversation easier for you, then please,” Jihyo smiled sympathetically, and Seungcheol knew it was coming, but something unpleasant settled deep into his stomach anyways. He disappeared into the kitchen and gathered some random snacks he had: mostly chips of different varieties and a few beers. Seungcheol never keeps alcohol in the apartment unless he has guests over to consume it all the same day; he must have been really going through it, he just now noticed. Seungcheol walked back to the living room with full arms and Jihyo helped him settled the treats onto the floor.

“You know, it’s weird to have a talk when actively we’re preparing for it…” Seungcheol chuckled weakly, immediately opening a beer and chugging it. Jihyo raised her brows, but it went unnoticed.

“Well, I’ll make it easy...maybe,” Jihyo grinned, opening her own beer and taking small sips. She was more interested in the chips anyways. “Let’s see...how was your day today?”

“I got asked if I was okay several times, my boss keeps trying to set me up with the single women in the office, and Joshua keeps apologizing to me which makes me feel worse,” Seungcheol grumbled and stuffed his face.

“Ah...how eventful,” Jihyo took a swig of her beer. “Let’s talk about your boss, yeah? Seems like a rant will do you some good! Why’s he so concerned with your love life?”

Seungcheol made a face and shrugged. “I have no idea, but it’s probably because he’s a traditional man. He has a good wife and good kids and he wants everyone in the office to live that way...I assume. I mean, I’m not opposed to dating again—especially after recently, I’d very much welcome it—but I’ve only dated one person in my life and I just knew that that one person was going to be my forever…I guess, in a way, he still is my forever. I can’t move on even after seeing him so happy with his own little family...” Seungcheol at his lips, played with his hands, messed with his hair—he did everything he could to distract himself from crying.

Jihyo moved over to Seungcheol and wrapped her arm around his. “So...you met your ex a few days ago?” And it was with this that Seungcheol finally broke down.

“He showed up at the office, with a child , and then he acted like he didn’t know me. It wasn’t until Joshua invited me to lunch with them that we finally had a chance to talk. He only dropped the facade when Joshua left, and he tried to apologize and to ask about Hansol, and I just—I couldn’t do it.” Seungcheol rested his head in his free hand, Jihyo having took hold of his other one to comfort him. Seungcheol continued rambling on about how he had left Jeonghan and Joshua without eating, how he’d try to bury himself into his work until his shift was over, but the two had come to talk to him together. Seungcheol recalled the talk they had with even more choked words, because even if he said he’d let go, even if he could convince the two of them that he got the closure he needed, he couldn’t just do that.

“And then…” Seungcheol continued. “And then, as I was leaving early, Jeonghan had caught up with me. We talked some more, and it was the most painful talk I’ve ever experienced...Hearing him explain his side, about how much he tried to give up for me—for us, for our family, but just couldn’t. He told me that he’d always love me, but also that he was already starting to move on…”

Jihyo squeezed Seungcheol’s hand and then pulled away. “I’ll be right back, okay?” Her voice was soft and comforting, and she rose before disappearing down the hallway. Seungcheol took the short time to try and compose himself, but he failed miserably. Jihyo came back to Seungcheol sobbing softly and she wrapped her arms around him without hesitation, rubbing his back and getting him to calm down before she pulled away again and cleaned up their beer and chips. Finally, Jihyo returned to Seungcheol and held out her hands for him to take. Seungcheol was confused, but he slowly took hold of Jihyo’s hands and allowed her to pull him up (with a bit of helpful effort from his side as well). Jihyo led Seungcheol out of the apartment and down until they were standing outside, just shy of the rain.

“What are we doing? The kids—” Seungcheol nearly turned around to head back up, but Jihyo stopped him by running out into the rain. Seungcheol was very confused at this point, and he looked at Jihyo as if she were crazy. Jihyo twirled around in the rain, arms out and head back, a wide smile on her face. Seungcheol tried calling for Jihyo to come back, but she refused, happily jumping in whatever puddles she could find, laughing happily and freely. Seungcheol began to worry when she started travelling further down the street, so he sighed and ran after her. Jihyo led Seungcheol through several puddles, splashing him enough times to the point where his mission had switched from getting the two of them back inside to splashing Jihyo back. Eventually, Seungcheol became the same carefree laughing mess that Jihyo was, and the two began to play in the rain together.

It was irresponsible, they knew that; they both left their five year old children in an apartment alone to play in the rain. It was irresponsible, but it felt so good .

After tiring themselves out, Seungcheol and Jihyo moved to sit on the curb, and as they caught their breaths, they closed their eyes and allowed themselves to get lost in the feeling of the rain falling on their skin. Although it was an unspoken feeling that they shared, for the first time in a long time, the two of them felt their actual ages for once. They could see it in each other’s eyes when they had finally opened them and turned to look at each other. In this moment, they were simply a twenty-five year old and a twenty-three year; too young to be raising five year olds on their own, too young to be weighed down by the world yet, too young to be feeling so much hurt and so lost—and yet, here they were. The both of them, with abandoning exes and two children that they had to struggle to learn how to take care of while trying to take care of themselves.

It was all funny, really, and it showed as both began to laugh out loud: at themselves, at the situation, at the world in general. After a short moment, the two finally began to rise and head back inside. When they arrived back to Seungcheol’s apartment, the children were waiting in the living room with their stuffed animals in arm. Both Hansol and Tzuyu ran up to their parents and clung onto them despite how drenched they were, scolding them for going to play in the rain without them. Seungcheol and Jihyo nodded along to their children’s scoldings, shuffling into Seungcheol’s apartment awkwardly.

Seungcheol directed Jihyo towards the guest bathroom. “I’ll bring you and Tzuyu some clothes to change into, there are towels in the cabinet already.” Seungcheol said as he went into his room with Hansol clinging onto him despite trying to put his son down. Seungcheol tickled the child until he wanted to escape, smiling widely in victory and he dug through his drawers for old clothes for Jihyo to wear. He spotted the clothes that Jihyo gave him and considered giving them to her to wear, but then he imagined Jihyo wearing his clothes would absolutely be too large for her, so he pulled out some of his clothes and closed the drawer a little too eagerly.

Next he went into Hansol’s room to grab Hansol some new pajamas as well as some for Tzuyu. He picked out the pajamas that Hansol loved to wear recently—pokemon pajamas that matched his new favorite plushie, wobbuffet—and then he picked out Hansol’s other favorite pajama set for Tzuyu; the set was a special edition that were designed after the 2016 colors of the year—Rose Quartz and Serenity—and Hansol, for once in his short life, demanded to have them because they were pretty.

“Alright, sorry for the wait,” Seungcheol took the clothes to Jihyo and Tzuyu who were patiently waiting in the bathroom; however, Seungcheol didn’t expect for Jihyo and Tzuyu to have already removed their clothes, but thankfully, they were wrapped up securely in towels. “ holy shi— Sorry, sorry, sorry!”

Jihyo snorted and took the clothes from Seungcheol. “Thanks, and calm down, we’re reasonable adults,” Seungcheol groaned and complained as Jihyo pushed him out of the bathroom, heading back to his room with Hansol’s pajamas to wash up with his son before they got sick.