Kibum hated being late. He had missed the first half of the match before he finally made it to Yoogeun’s school. It really wasn’t his fault that his boss had decided to call for a surprise meeting in the morning to ‘boost morale’ at the workplace. It had pushed all his work back and he was left scrambling to get it all done. He didn’t know why he had to suffer for the incompetence of his colleagues, who ended up starting a cold war in the office because they couldn’t keep personal matters separated from work.

Thankfully, Minho had texted him explicit directions to find him in the bleachers so Kibum was making his way through the crowd with purpose, passing by passionately-cheering students and parents alike. He finally found Minho amidst the pool of faces and sighed in relief for the first time that day.

“Bah!” he jumped on Minho, causing the other to jolt in shock. Minho’s focused expression instantly lit up as he pulled Kibum into a hug before asking him to sit down.

“Did I miss too much?” Kibum asked, sounding apologetic. He scanned the field for Yoogeun and found the boy sitting on the sidelines with his bat in hand.

“Not much really. Home team’s leading and Yoogeun will be up for batting in a while…” Minho said, looking slightly jumpy. Kibum was amused by his antics for a while, but then he spotted Yoogeun coming onto the field and he joined in on Minho’s loud cheers for his son, screaming obnoxiously at the top of his lungs.

As if by telepathy, Yoogeun’s eyes automatically landed on where they were sitting as he was taking his place. He couldn’t have possibly distinguished Kibum’s voice out of the crowd’s, right? His bright smile dimmed instantaneously as he noticed Kibum.

Kibum stopped dead. Minho, of course, was oblivious to this exchange of looks between them.

Had he been wrong to have come? He’s going to ruin the match for Yoogeun and be hated forever, isn’t he? There’s no comeback from this – this is the end. Yoogeun’s childhood story will be of his cruel stepfather that ruined his important baseball match.

Kibum gulped nervously. All the negative thoughts popping up in his head made it difficult for Kibum to keep cheering so he took to awkwardly clapping in rhythm with the crowd instead.

Imagine Kibum’s surprise when he saw the ball that Yoogeun hit soar far into the distance. Minho had been right. It seemed as if even Kibum could not faze the boy. Minho was literally chest bumping everyone close to him in joy, a strange ritual in Kibum’s eyes. Kibum, on the other hand, received only a very excited shake of his shoulders with Minho screaming in his face and it had the effect of shaking Kibum out of his negativity.

But still, whatever were they thinking when they came up with this idea?

A half an hour later, the match was over and they were on the field, surrounded by Yoogeun’s teammates. They had won so the cheering still hadn’t stopped. Kibum watched Minho pick his son up in the tightest embrace, twirling him round and round. Kibum couldn’t help but be infected by the joy as he congratulated the other boys around him.

“Choi-shii, you’ve got a star player for a son!” Kibum heard the coach saying to Minho. They began speaking about the match that day and Kibum tuned them out as he understood nothing about the strategies in baseball. Instead, his eyes found a certain pair of hostile ones looking up at him.

“Congratulations, Yoogeun. You looked really good out on the field today,” Kibum said, putting his hands in his pocket for lack better things to do with them.

“Thanks. Do you play as well?” he replied, shouting to be heard over the noise. Kibum gained confidence after the reply. He gave the boy a warm smile before he spoke.

“No, actually. Sports, not really my thing.”

Yoogeun returned the warm smile, although slightly sinister.

“Well then, your compliment means nothing to me…”

Kibum’s jaw dropped without intention. His brain had a very hard time connecting the words to the somewhat kind face he was seeing.

“Appa can’t be having that great a time with you if he can’t even discuss sports with you. Thanks, Kibum-shii, for the good news,” the boy continued.

“What news?” It was all Kibum could manage in his shock.

“That a break up is imminent…” Yoogeun said, patting him on his arm twice sympathetically before moving away to join his father.

Kibum felt the shock slowly drain and anger take its place. The young boy right now looked very much like the very stereotypical rich, snobby kid, that had been mollycoddled way too much all his life. Kibum felt ashamed that he hadn’t been able to say anything to defend himself. There was only one thought running through his mind as Minho was calling him over for them to leave.

Why, that little brat.

“Minho-yah, did your son swallow an encyclopedia or something?” Kibum whispered into Minho’s ear as they were walking to Minho’s car, Yoogeun dawdling behind them. His question earned him a boisterous laugh.

“Why on earth would you ask that?”

Kibum sighed.

“Because he sounds like he’s lived in some posh neighbourhood all his life…”

Minho simply shook his head, still laughing. He helped Yoogeun unload his things in the trunk before passing him by again on the way to the driver’s seat.

“Good luck, Bummie…” he said, sneakily patting Kibum’s as he climbed in. Kibum heaved a heavy sigh for the umpteenth time that day as he walked over to the passenger’s seat.

They went for pizza in a small Italian restaurant near Yoogeun’s school. Kibum had eaten mostly in silence, trying to come up with a strategy to save the situation. Minho had set up a few conversation openers for Kibum, but the boy had been quick in changing the subject to something Kibum could not participate in.

“Yoogeun-ah, Kibum has met a few national players for work. Would you like to hear about it?”

“Not really, I’m hungry.”

“Yoogeun-ah, guess where appa met Kibum. The place you like to get hot chocolate at!”

“Really? Too bad I don’t drink hot chocolate anymore.”

“Yah, since when?”

“I just quit. Coach said it’s fattening.”

“Yoogeun-ah, don’t be like that…”

“Like what?”

At that point, Kibum had stepped in, stopping Minho by resting his hand on the other’s under the table. There was no need to sour the mood of the evening. By the end of dinner, Minho had sent him a thousand apologetic glances and his own knuckles had gone white from clutching his glass of water too tightly in stress.

Next, was ice cream at an ice cream parlour down the street per Yoogeun’s request. Kibum dreaded another round of awkward eating, but he made up his mind to be more aggressive this time.

“Yoogeun-ah, what’s your favourite ice cream flavor?” Kibum started as they seated themselves.

“I find it pointless to pick one when you can have them all as favourites. Appa, I want a banana split...”

Kibum met Minho’s gaze, ready to give up. But Minho’s eyes were pleading. Kibum reasoned that he had to make use of this chance to spend time with Minho, or else they’d go another two weeks without seeing each other. So Kibum simply gritted his teeth and stood down.

Plus, Minho looked absolutely adorable pouting. How could he say no to that?

“I’ll have straciatella, or I don’t know... Surprise me,” he said. Minho seemed grateful for that. He stood up to go get the ice creams for them. The moment he was out of earshot, Kibum turned to Yoogeun, expression extremely severe, or at least so he hoped.

“Okay listen, Yoogeun. I’m trying really hard here. I’d really appreciate you meeting me halfway so that we could converse in a civilized manner.”

“Wow, is that the way to talk to a child?” Yoogeun acted surprised.

“Forgive my ignorance, but you don’t really sound like an ordinary child. You sound like you’re about to whip out a contract from your backpack and have me sign it so I’d stay away from your father…”

Yoogeun cracked a smile. Kibum couldn’t figure out if this was genuine or not.

“Hey, that’s not a bad idea. Will you sign such a contract?”

Kibum leaned back in his seat, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly.

“No, of course not. Why would I? I like him…”

Yoogeun seemed to consider this.

“So, you really like him?”

“YES,” Kibum stressed, “I really do.”

“Well, it seems like we’ve run into a dead end here,” Yoogeun said, his thoughts obviously racing. Kibum couldn’t understand it.

“I don’t follow,” Kibum admitted.

“See, I thought you were another one of those leeches after my father for his money. I still don’t believe you, but let’s just say I do…” Yoogeun started, hands clasped on the table in a business-like manner. Kibum couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Does that happen a lot? People going after him cause he’s rich?” Kibum interjected, distracted by that bit of information.

“And influential. Mostly for his riches, though,” Yoogeun added nonchalantly. Kibum had to hand it to the boy, he exhibited charisma when he spoke.

“If you really like him, then you are a victim of the situation as well. ‘Cause my father still loves my mother. He just hasn’t realised it. They will get back together, I’m sure. You will end up getting hurt if you stay with him, so for your sake, I hope you will leave him and save yourself the pain.”

Yoogeun patted Kibum’s hand condescendingly twice and he was left dumbfounded for far too long afterwards.

Oh. So that’s it.

Realization dawned on Kibum and he found his anger ebbing away, slowly but surely. He still found the boy obnoxious, but he now saw where this was coming from. Kibum knew this place all too well. A place of longing for things to go back to the way they were when his family was still one. It was a lonely place, especially because he had had no siblings – or no one in general really – to share the pain with.

Yoogeun was at this same place.

“Yoogeun-ah, I’m sure your father still cares for your mother, just no longer in the way you think. It’s been two years, I don’t think they’re getting back together. And it’s not like I’m going to take her place by dating him anyway…”

The younger boy didn’t seem to like what Kibum was saying as he refused to meet his eyes.

“But you’re doing exactly that. And you’re wrong. Eomma will come home. Soon.”

Kibum shot a glance at Minho, who seemed to be taking his sweet time placing the order, looking over his shoulder every once in a while. He pondered over how he was going to convince Yoogeun otherwise. He realized that he can’t. Not anytime soon.

“Okay then. What if I told you that your father really does want me?”

“Correction. He thinks he wants you. He doesn’t. He needs eomma…”

“What if I’m right?” Kibum pushed.

“What if I am?”

“So that settles it…” Kibum said, feeling triumphant that he had lured the boy into this.

“What?” Yoogeun asked, confused.

“It’s obvious we both have no say in this. It’s all in your father’s hands. The moment he makes it clear who he really wants, this debate will end.”

Kibum wasn’t sure that Yoogeun was really being convinced by this. He just wanted the boy to let go of the notion that he had any control over this matter. Sure, Yoogeun has say in it, but Kibum hoped he would eventually see what really made Minho happy.

“Till then there’s no point in you and me arguing. So, what do you say? Friends?”

There, that seemed like a good plan, right? Then again, what would Kibum know about convincing children?

“I won’t go that far,” Yoogeun said, pacing himself as if he was choosing his words very carefully, “I will tolerate you, but with one condition. I get my chance to bring my parents back together.”

Kibum began shaking his head to protest.

“Hey, if you can try to convince appa to stay with you, it’s only fair that I get my chance to prove him otherwise.”

“I told you, I’m not-“

“Or are you scared of what might happen?”

Kibum’s impression about him being cunning had been spot on. He was sweating in his palms just thinking of an appropriate response. He didn’t like that the boy wouldn’t let go of his ideas, but Kibum knew it was the heartbreak talking. However, he could not ignore the faint nagging thought that there was a chance the boy might be right.

After considering his options, he was not left with much choice than to agree. Yoogeun stretched a hand out and Kibum shook it, sealing the deal.

This could be good. At least now he would have the chance of winning the boy over instead of being shut out completely.

Kibum was drowning in his own uncertainty when Minho decided to show up, holding two large cups of ice cream in one hand and the banana split in the other. He slid into seat beside Yoogeun and opposite Kibum.

 “What’s going on?” Minho asked, sensing the odd atmosphere. Kibum ignored the question, eyes still on the boy.

Yoogeun turned to his ice cream and began digging in. Minho looked at Kibum questioningly, to which he simply shrugged. The suspense was a torture to him. He turned to his son and asked him again.

“It’s a secret, appa,” Yoogeun said, sending Kibum a sly smile.

Oh boy, what has he started?