Jihyo and Tzuyu end up staying the entire weekend with Seungcheol and Hansol.

It happens like this: after Seungcheol came home from work that day, the children rushed him at the door, pulling him excitedly to the couch; Jihyo scolded them gently about how Seungcheol needed to get his shoes off first. After removing his shoes—with the children untying them for him—he was pulled to the couch as originally planned and given a short presentation.

“Reasons why Tzuyu and her mommy should stay the weekend,” Hansol presented at the start, he and Tzuyu clapping until Jihyo and Seungcheol clapped as well. Seungcheol was confused and when he looked towards Jihyo, she refused to look at him back—her face was flushed and she was alternating between covering it and running her hands through her hair.

“First reason: it would be super fun!” Tzuyu flipped the paper on Hansol’s drawing tablet that was hardly ever touched before today. There was a drawing of the four of them with smiley faces and little suns surrounding them.

“Second reason: it would be really helpful if daddy had to go back to work,” Hansol said as he flipped the page of his tablet. Now there was a drawing of Seungcheol at what he assumed was his job with a line drawn between him and the other three who were at the apartment. Seungcheol was honestly impressed by the details of this picture considering he was frowning at work.

“Last reason: mommy and daddy—I mean, Mr. Cheollie—can watch dramas together!” Tzuyu giggled at her mistake (Seungcheol wanted to cry because it was cute and he was honored; Jihyo also wanted to cry, but for completely different reasons) and flipped the page again. There was a picture of Seungcheol and Jihyo on the couch ( cuddling ) while watching TV with snacks in front of them while Hansol and Tzuyu were off to the side playing happily amongst themselves. The scene was heartwarming, and even though Seungcheol had no problem with Jihyo and Tzuyu staying over anyways, he sure was convinced.

Hansol and Tzuyu concluded their presentation with setting the tablet aside before taking each other’s hands and bowing together. Seungcheol smiled at the two of them widely, impressed by their presentation, and greatly moved. Jihyo, on the other hands, was still quite embarrassed.

“We’ll go talk about it now, okay?” Seungcheol got up from the couch and went over to ruffle the kids’ hair, turning around to Jihyo after he righted his position and nodded towards the kitchen. Jihyo got up almost reluctantly and followed Seungcheol into the kitchen. “So...that was something?” Seungcheol grinned and finally undid his business attire as they got into the kitchen.

“I had no idea that that’s what they were doing. They shut me out sometime after lunch and were super secretive about it. I couldn’t even be nosy because they’re good kids, I had nothing to suspect of them,” Jihyo sighed with a chuckle of disbelief.

Seungcheol chuckled as well at the image. He could very well see Tzuyu ushering her mother out of Hansol’s room as the two children plotted out their grand scheme of getting Seungcheol to agree to letting Jihyo and Tzuyu stay for the weekend. “Well, they made very interesting points. I mean, I was already down, but I’m like super down now,”

A look crossed Jihyo’s face. “...Is it really okay to stay for the weekend?” Another look crossed Jihyo’s face and it was the most tempting look ever. She looked up at Seungcheol with eyes that seemed bigger than normal and a slight, unsure pout.

“Hyo,” Seungcheol stepped forward and grabbed Jihyo’s face, leaning down to press a kiss to Jihyo’s forehead. “of course it’s okay. It’s more than okay.” Seungcheol smiled down at Jihyo with his warmest, fondest smile that made Jihyo purse her lips and pull away. She was blushing and trying to hide a smile in the worst way possible, and Seungcheol thinks that there’s several more points that could be added to Hansol and Tzuyu’s presentation.

Seungcheol heads out of the kitchen after Jihyo and the two of them start gathering up the kids so that they can head back to Jihyo’s apartment and get the girls clothes and other necessities for the weekend.

The following Monday, they arrive at the Kindergarten together to drop the kids off, surprising the teachers there that had the tendency to hit on Seungcheol; however, no one could have been more surprised to see the two of them together than Sunmi. There was a lot of stuttering on her end and questionable looks, but the only thing she said before they left was “Oh, we’re definitely talking later.”

And talk they did, because when Seungcheol came to pick the kids up, Sunmi pulled him aside as if she had been waiting for him. “What the fu—heck. What the heck, Choi Seungcheol.” Sunmi gritted out, not in anger, but in aggressive confusion. Either way, Seungcheol still got whacked at.

“Well, noona, as you can see, there has been some changes in Jihyo and I’s relationship.” Seungcheol started, ignoring the roll of Sunmi’s eyes that clearly gave him a sharp, ‘No , Sherlock’. “We’re not together together, but we’re...together?”

“I don’t get it—I mean, I do get it, but I seriously don’t get it…” Sunmi’s brows furrowed together and she began massaging her temples. “How did you two even…?”

“You know how I’ve been off lately?” Seungcheol asked, and Sunmi responded with quick nods. “Well, that was because my ex showed back up in my life at my job not too long ago, with another child and dating my coworker.”

“What the fu—udge...popsicle…” Sunmi said a bit too loudly, causing the remaining kids to look over at the two adults. Her recovery incited the sweets-filled desires of the children, though, and it took a few tries to get their attention off of them.

“Anyways, I tried to pretend like nothing happened just like he was, but then he started the taboo conversation at lunch after he sent my coworker—his boyfriend—away, and it all went downhill from there. He and my coworker attempted to talk things out with my later on, and I genuinely tried to talk through things with them too, to finally get closure, but my heart wasn’t in it and I guess my ex could tell,”

“Oh, Cheollie…” Sunmi reached over her desk and took Seungcheol’s hands in hers, rubbing it comfortingly.

“After our talk, they urged me to go home, and I did, but then my ex stopped me in the parking garage and explained himself. You know, why he left, why he adopted another kid. I think that last talk was supposed to be our actual closure, and it felt like it, truly, but…” Seungcheol trailed off, taking a deep breath. He was moving on, he definitely was, but it was all still a little fresh for him—it still hurt.

“You couldn’t stop thinking about it, right?” Sunmi asked; she was good with filling in the blanks when it came to Seungcheol, and whether it was because he was an open book or he really just spilled out his guts that time they went drinking, he didn’t really know. “The time between when he left you and Hansol and when you two saw each other again wasn’t a long time, and you couldn’t stop thinking about it. Whether it was actually youthat did something, whether it was you that wasn’t good enough...right?”

“Noona…” Seungcheol’s voice shook a bit. “He said it wasn’t me, that it was him and his family that he had to think about, but...what if? And if it was me that was the problem, then...what about with Jihyo, you know? What if I’m not good enough for her either?” Seungcheol swallowed down his tears, he couldn’t cry right now despite desperately wanting to.

“The reason she stayed with me over the weekend is because Friday, she finally asked me about what was going on, and I just broke down. Then she took me outside when it was raining and we kinda just lost it. We let it all out, together. It was nice—being with her is nice, it’s great, so great that I’ve promised her a someday. But what if I can’t make it to someday? I feel like I’m stuck between moving on and hanging on, noona, and I—”

“Cheol.” Sunmi finally intervened. She gave Seungcheol a reassuring squeeze to his hand before continuing. “First of all, take a deep breath, kiddo.” Seungcheol nodded and the two of them took a long inhale together and released it slowly. “Good, now secondly: you’re not the only one whose confused about all of this, I can assure you,”

“How—” Seungcheol wanted to question, but Sunmi stopped him with a pointer finger held up sternly.

“Jihyo’s first and last relationship—or, as we all like to call it, bad decision—was with Mark, the man that knocked her up and ditched her in a foreign country. She may seem fine, but I’m pretty sure she’s worrying about all kinds of things on her end too. Young women who are single mothers that are working multiple, small niche jobs aren’t exactly hot on the market, you know.” Sunmi explained, patting Seungcheol hand one last time before she released it and checked her phone for the time. She stood up and called Hansol and Tzuyu over before pushing Seungcheol out of the room telling him that he’ll be late if he doesn’t leave now.

“Thanks, noona,” Seungcheol smiled and waved at Sunmi as he left with the kids. On the way over to pick Jihyo up, Seungcheol decided that maybe he and Jihyo were fine at the pace they were going at. Of course, Seungcheol considered the possibility of adding a lot more open flirting and affection in an attempt to diminish the amount of embarrassment they both felt (or so he tried to reason with himself).