“Appa, wake up, WAKE UP!”

Kibum opened an eye slowly, squinting in the brightness. The right side of his body was aching for some reason and being rattled around didn’t help with the pain at all. Seeing the bright streams of sunray through the trees in the distance, Kibum remembered where he was and that he had fallen asleep on the hard ground.

“What?” came Minho’s groggy voice, tinted with confusion as he removed himself from Kibum, rolling onto his back.

“Appa, I just received a message from eomma. She said harabeoji’s feeling very sick. We have to go see him, their hometown is on the way home, I googled it…”

Yoogeun was a ball of nervous energy, pacing as he spoke. Kibum laid on his back, trying to catch up to all he was hearing. Was this really happening? Was it just a figment of his imagination?

“Yoogeun, you need to slow down for me, okay?”

He heard Yoogeun sigh.

“Appa, harabeoji is ill. We need to go see him. Eomma’s hometown is-“

“-just on the way, I know. How are you connected to the internet out here?” Kibum could only see Minho’s slouched back but he could see the man trying to figure out what to do.

“They have wifi appa!”

Minho was rubbing his face with his palms.

“How ill is he? I mean, do we have time?”

Yoogeun didn’t seem to like the implication of the question, his brows furrowing and his lips forming a grimace. Neither did Kibum really. The boy was saying that his grandfather was sick and Minho was asking him how long he has to live. Kibum groaned inwardly.

“Yah, we should get going instead of asking questions…” he said, sitting up.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but thank you, hyung!” Yoogeun said, running off to the tent.

“Is it just me or was sleeping out here on nothing but the blanket a terrible idea?” Minho grumbled, stretching his back.

“Good morning to you too, Minho,” Kibum said as he started to gather all their rubbish around them and putting their stuff into the bags they brought. Minho stood up, brushing Kibum’s head as he went to pack up the things in the tent. He was still asking Yoogeun all sorts of questions the whole time.

“Minho, go get ready to leave, I’ll finish up here…” Kibum interjected, hoping that this would help them get ready faster. Minho shuffled in the direction of the toilets, grabbing the toiletry bag that Kibum tossed his way.

“You don’t mind coming with, right? I mean, you’ll be seeing eomma there…” the boy asked as they were taking the tent down together. That alone should have set off alarms in Kibum’s head, but it didn’t. Why would he even be worried about Kibum’s feelings if his grandfather was sick?

He simply answered that it was fine and that he hoped the boy’s grandfather was alright.

“Kibum, your camera…” Minho said, looking more alive now that he’s had a chance to wash his face. He took over Kibum’s job so that he could go grab the camera and visit the toilet.

They were up and ready to leave in about half an hour. Breakfast was a little tricky because they had finished even their energy bars last night, but they would have to worry about that later. The drive to Yoogeun’s mother’s hometown only caused them to make a small detour from the way back to Seoul. It wasn’t even an hour before they were rolling down the street to Yoogeun’s grandparents’ place.

Kibum couldn’t help but notice Minho’s clenched fists on the steering wheels and his tense expression the whole way there. He’d definitely have to ask him about it later. Or maybe he’d find out why in a while.

“Bummie, you sure you’re fine coming with us? I mean, her father isn’t the most open to people like us…”

“Yah, that’s not really important now is it? The man’s sick, he could be-“ Kibum stopped himself in time, meeting Yoogeun’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. “Besides, what other options do I have? A bus back to Seoul? No, thank you…”

They arrived in front of a terrace house that looked slightly too big to be in this neighbourhood, but it did not scream extravagant at all, not by Seoul’s standards at least. From what he understood, Minho’s ex-wife was the daughter of a local businessman, who was quite a popular man in this town. She herself became a business consultant after dropping out of the law school she attended with Minho. Kibum did not know much else about her because it really wasn’t a topic that came up often except when Yoogeun, of course, brought it up. 

He did not know what to expect for showing up uninvited like this either.

Yoogeun was out of the car the moment Minho hit the brakes. He was up at the gate, ringing the bell insistently. Minho turned to Kibum, taking a deep breath.

“You ready?” Minho asked, taking hold of his hand. Kibum pressed a reassuring kiss to the back of Minho’s hand, as if to say ‘I’ll be fine’.

They walked out of the car, Kibum trailing behind Minho as the gate opened and a young woman came out. Yoogeun was on her immediately, hugging her tightly and she returned the embrace with as much eagerness.

“Yoogeun-ah, I’ve missed you!”

“Her sister…” Minho told him quietly before moving up to bow to her. She bowed back politely, greeting him pretty formally. She noticed Kibum and bowed to him as well. Kibum responded in kind.

“Hello, I’m Soojung, Minho’s sister-in-law. Well, ex. You are?” She laughed genuinely. Kibum decided he liked her.

“Hi, I’m Kibum. I’m-“

He felt Yoogeun’s eyes boring into him, challenging him, daring him to say it. But before he could, Minho stepped up to it.

“He’s my boyfriend…” Minho said, not an ounce of shame in his words. It gave Kibum the confidence he needed.

“Oh, I see. Well, come on in, Kibum-shii. I apologize in advance if my face is the only smiling face you see in the house today…” she said, ushering them all in. Kibum decided he really liked this girl. She did not, even for a second, bat an eyelash at Minho’s admission. It was refreshing because it was so rare to see this level nonchalance towards the subject.

“They know, so don’t worry, alright?” Minho told him as they were walking up the stairs into the house. Kibum just nodded, not completely over his anxiousness.

The house was a bundle of surprises. They entered into a modern looking house although the outside seemed more traditional and Kibum was in awe of the spaciousness that had not been hinted at by the exterior at all.

“Minho! My lovely ex-husband! What on earth-“

Kibum turned in the direction of the voice and met the eyes of a woman who looked so similar to Soojung, he thought he was seeing double. This woman was dressed in a revealing sun dress while her sister was in a sweater and jeans. They couldn’t have been more different in style for two people that looked so much alike.

Her expression turned dark and Kibum steeled himself for whatever he was about to hear.

“Oh no. You brought your boyfriend? Yah, what were you thinking?” she scolded Minho, her words not matching her tone at all as she seemed to be more playful rather than hostile. She came over to give him a hug and Kibum didn’t miss at all the way Yoogeun was standing right by them, looking straight at Kibum with absolute pride.

“We were out camping when we heard the news and we came right over…” Minho said, pulling back from the hug. She looked at him in confusion and that left Kibum confused in turn.

“What news?”

Yoogeun was turning on his heels, trying to leave through the doorway to the living room.

“Yoogeun, stop,” Minho’s voice was stern.

“He told me your father was ill and that we needed to see him right away…” he continued. Kibum could see the creases in the taller man’s forehead deepening.

“Yes, he’s sick with the flu. I was telling Yoogeun that I was here to check on him…”

All the eyes turned to Yoogeun then. The boy simply shrugged.

“I wasn’t lying, technically…”

Minho opened his mouth, about to begin a lecture probably, but he got stopped by another booming voice.

“Who’s there? Am I mistaken or do I hear my grandson?”

Yoogeun retreated from the group, running into the living room without another word.

“Oh god, did he say that his grandpa was-“ she sighed, “I’ll have to talk to him about this…”

“Get in line. He’s going to hear about this from me first…” Minho ranted, placing his hands on his hips.

“Hey, I’m sorry for all this. I’m Somin, Minho’s one and only ex-wife…”

Soojung had been wrong, her smile wasn’t the last one he saw directed at him in the house. It was Somin’s and quite honestly, it was beautiful.

Kibum bowed, introducing himself.

“Yoogeun has told me a lot about you. Mostly unsavoury things. I think he likes you…” she said, pulling Kibum into a hug instead. Kibum could only look at her in confusion once again as he hugged her back on instinct rather than with intention.

“I’m not sure I follow…”

“Kibum-shii, you’ve got to really observe someone to be able to see the things he’s told me…” she said, hooking an arm around his as she led him into the living room. He glanced over his shoulder at Minho, begging for rescue. Minho only looked on helplessly.

“Appa, look who’s here! It’s Choi Minho. Great, you’ve met! So, come on I’ll show you guys to the garden at the back, which is barren right now, but that’s fine…” Somin spoke so fast, giving Minho and Kibum barely a second to bow in front of the older man before she started to shuffle them out again. Kibum first noticed the full head of white hair and his large build that was imposing next to Yoogeun’s small figure.

“How dare you-“ he started, standing up as fast as a man his age could, glare fixed on Minho and then Kibum.

“Oh, no need for that appa-“

“SOMIN!” everyone stopped dead in their tracks. Even Yoogeun, who had previously been talking animatedly to the man.

“I will not allow this in my house. Get him out or you can all leave…”

Kibum wasn’t sure who he was asking to leave.

“Appa, his name is Kibum, they came to drop Yoogeun off so he can see you. Aren’t you happy to see Yoogeun?” Somin tried persuading him, confirming that it was indeed Kibum he wanted out. He couldn’t understand how the man could hate someone whose name he didn’t even know till a second ago.

“Abeoji-“

“Don’t call me that!”

Kibum saw Minho’s fists clench. He could only look on helplessly so as to not make the situation any worse. Yoogeun didn’t seem to like this any better himself, proven by his downcast eyes and fiddling fingers.

“Kim-shii, I hope your health recovers soon. I’ll be leaving now…” Minho said, grabbing Kibum’s wrist to leave. “Yoogeun, are you coming?”

The boy looked completely terrified to be caught in between. Something told Kibum he hadn’t expected this to happen.

“Okay calm down, everyone…” Soojung said, approaching her father and helping him sit back down.  

“But Soojung, I will not stand this! That too in front of my grandson!”

“Appa, they won’t bother you, okay? And Yoogeun, you can stay here with harabeoji. We’ll come get you later, okay?”

The older man did not get the chance to say more. She escorted them all out of the living room and into the garden very quickly. Minho wanted to leave, but she insisted, saying that her father had acted out of impulse and he’d cool down in time.

“Always listens to only his favourite daughter. I’m the failure of the family after all…” Somin said, taking a seat at the picnic table in the middle of the garden. Kibum noticed that the smile she put on while saying that did nothing to hide the sadness behind the words.

It was only then, once they were outside that he realised how tightly Minho was gripping his wrist. He loosened the grip with his other hand, interlocking their fingers instead.

“You alright?” he asked. Minho’s cheek was too warm. Kibum ran his thumb along the other’s cheekbone, trying to soothe him.

“Are you?” Minho asked him back, barely holding onto his wit but still making sure to check on him.

“I’ll be fine…”

“Wow, you really did it…” Somin said, causing them both to turn to her. Soojung was no longer there.

“What?”

“You managed to find someone who’d look at you like that…” she gestured to Kibum with the tilt of her head.

“Yeah, I found him, then I brought him to my ex-wife’s place to be humiliated…” Minho commented, walking them over to the table and letting of Kibum’s hand only after they sat down.

“I’m really sorry about that, Kibum-shii…” Somin said, leaning forward with her elbows on the table. “I was just talking to Yoogeun as usual and mentioned his grandfather being slightly ill. I didn’t know where you guys were and that he’d bring you here like this…”

“Well, I see now why Minho was anxious about bringing me here. It’s odd, I feel like I’ve just had a soap opera-like encounter with the in-laws…” he admitted honestly and Somin laughed at him.

“Well he was someone’s in-law before, maybe that explains it…”

Soojung walked out of the house at that moment, carrying a tray with a teapot and five small cups. She was also carrying an extra jacket on her arms. A man, wearing a ripped leather jacket over a plaid shirt followed her out of the house. Kibum tried to ignore all the fashion faux pas the man was committing then.

“Ah, baby, you’re back…” Somin got up to greet him with a kiss, a little too forward for Korean standards but she seemed like the last person to care about cultural norms.

“I figured lunch was out of question so this is all I can offer our guests…” Soojung said, placing the tray down and passing the jacket to Somin. Kibum didn’t notice the plate of cookies until then and seeing it reminded him that he had skipped breakfast.

“Baby, this is my ex-husband and his boyfriend…” Somin introduced them casually, sitting back down. Both he and Kibum exchanged greetings with the man.

“Ex and boyfriend, huh?” he repeated, sitting down between her and Soojung. Kibum did not feel comfortable under his gaze at all.

“And you are?” Minho’s tone was just as cutting.

“Jaehyung, the boyfriend…”

They went to exchange obligatory questions about where they were from and what they did for a living, but none of it interested Kibum much. The whole time they were talking, Kibum was itching to grab a cookie. He didn’t want to deal with anything else at the moment, he just wanted to feed his stomach and those cookies looked amazing.

“Help yourself, Kibum-shii…” Soojung whispered to him, leaning towards him. She seemed like an absolute joy to be around, the way she exuded charm and kindness. Kibum really wished they had met under better circumstances.

Kibum was enjoying a cookie while Minho kept the conversation with the other man going – because he was good at it – when Yoogeun showed up. The boy went straight to his aunt, avoiding everybody’s eyes on him, Minho’s most of all.

“Hey eat up, love. You look hungry…” she said to him, allowing him to sit on her lap as there were no other chairs for him. Kibum passed his cup of tea to the boy, drinking from Minho’s instead and refilling it for the man afterwards.

He had been busy watching Yoogeun because the boy seemed a little too quiet, when his ears picked up the conversation Minho was having.

“-for about two weeks now. We met at the club you hate in Gangnam…” Somin was saying.

“Eomma, you didn’t tell me about this…” Yoogeun whined, looking only at his mother and actively avoiding his father’s eyes. His mother, however, was busy pouring herself more tea and did not respond to him. So, Yoogeun simply went back to eating quietly.

“How long have you two been together?” the man asked, calling Minho’s attention back to him. He had been staring at Yoogeun as well earlier.

“About six months…” Minho answered, taking a sip of tea. Jaehyung nodded, seemingly impressed.

“Didn’t know you guys lasted that long…”

That was the point Kibum’s head had snapped in the man’s direction. He was not about to put up with this again, not twice in the same day.

“Care to elaborate?” he interrupted before Minho could say a thing. All eyes were on him now.

“Huh?” Jaehyung was distracted, trying to find something in his jacket.

“Why do you say that?” Kibum repeated himself.

“Just that, you know, I heard the lifestyle’s a little too quick for us normal people to keep up with…”

Minho leaned back in his chair, releasing a deep sigh. Somin buried her face in a hand while Soojung busied herself fretting over Yoogeun. And Yoogeun himself was already too miserable to care. But Kibum couldn’t hold back anymore. Not with the barrage of incidents that have come at him since he set foot here.

“Is this being serious?”

Somin surprisingly broke into a giggle which she quickly covered with her hands. The man looked too flabbergasted to even respond. Minho was just smiling knowingly.

“Did you- Is he- Did he just-“

“Baby, don’t worry about it, okay? Back in his hometown, is what you call someone dear to you…” Somin said, rubbing his arm soothingly.

“I see. I still don’t appreciate it man…” Jaehyung said, finally finding what he was looking for – a packet of cigarettes. Somin tried to take it away, but he insisted on keeping it. He went on another search in his numerous pockets for a lighter.

Kibum rolled his eyes, grabbing himself another cookie.

“So anyway, what made you turn man? I mean, you obviously liked screwing women before…” he said, gesturing to Somin, who didn’t seem to mind the insinuation at all, oddly. Minho was struggling to respond appropriately, especially now that the other was attempting to smoke with Yoogeun sitting right there.

“Is that the way you talk about all the women in your life?”

“It’s fine, Kibum-shii…”

“I bet you perceive yourself to be quite the lady’s man, don’t you?” Kibum asked, to which the man replied with a shrug, obviously not picking up on the sarcasm. But he was growing uneasy, Kibum could tell that much.

“I have a question for you, what made you turn to inanity as a way of life? Must have been a tough decision to leave all your common sense behind…” Kibum continued.

“Okay that sounds like an insult to me…”

“Unbelievable…”

“Somin, tell me your ex and his play thing are not talking to me.”

“Hey, you talk to me or my man like that one more time… Well, give it a try…” Kibum was seeing red.

“You wanna go, bro?”

“Fight me, bro!”

Kibum was already standing up when Minho took hold of his wrist, asking him to calm down while Somin did the same for the other. As an extra precautionary step, she dragged the man away into the house.

“Don’t worry Yoogeun-ah, your mother is just conducting an experiment with that man, he won’t be around too long…” Soojung said, reminding Kibum of the boy’s presence.

“She’s going through this phase. Trust me, I’ve tried talking her out of it. Thankfully, she realises that this isn’t right…” she said to both of them. Kibum nodded, reaching for Minho’s cup to drink the last of the tea, feeling both Yoogeun’s and Minho’s eyes on him.

“Your man?” Minho asked.

“I repeat myself, fight me, bro.”

Minho threw up his hands in surrender.

Just a few minutes later, Minho decided it was time for them to leave. Yoogeun went to say goodbye to his grandfather while they said their own goodbyes to each other.

“I really like you, Kibum-shii. Maybe we could hang out in Seoul sometime…” Soojung said, hugging him tightly. Kibum wasn’t lying at all when he said that he’d love that. Soojung has turned out to be the most pleasant thing to come out of this entire debacle. She turned her attention over to Yoogeun and Kibum was left to focus on Minho and his ex-wife. The idiot from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

He could barely hear their conversation but he couldn’t help but eavesdrop, especially noticing how close she was standing to Minho.

“I haven’t had as much luck as you, Minho-yah…”

“You will once you stop hanging out with guys like that…”

“Easy for you to say, you have him. I can’t even be jealous because he’s amazing…” she glanced over at him and their eyes met.

“Well, my loss is his gain. Not gonna lie though, you’ll always be the one that got away for me…” she said, planting a kiss on Minho’s cheek. Kibum looked away, trying to understand those words. He thought they had mutually decided to get a divorce. Then why did she sound like she was still in love with him?

Yoogeun was looking at his parents as well, although he didn’t seem eager to show it off to Kibum now. He was caught up in his own train of thoughts.

Kibum continued mulling over what he overheard as they were walking back to the car. He had been so out of it that his heart almost leapt out of his chest when he felt the arms wrapping around his waist.

It was Yoogeun. He buried his face into Kibum’s side to hide it from view. Kibum was so surprised to see this that he was frozen in place.

“I’m sorry, Key hyung. I didn’t mean for you and appa to get hurt like that. I really didn’t. I just wanted you to see appa and eomma together. I shouldn’t have brought you here…”

Kibum looked up, meeting Minho’s eyes that were just as surprised to see this. Kibum brought a hand up to run through Yoogeun’s hair as it was all he could muster. He felt his heart swell with happiness at hearing those words and having Yoogeun’s frail arms hugging him, all the questions and worries in his mind being chased away by the simple words.

“It’s okay, Yoogeun, you couldn’t have known…” Kibum said, wrapping an arm around the boy, albeit awkwardly. Quite frankly, Kibum thought that he didn’t mind this at all and he found himself thinking that he could get used to this foreign feeling of protectiveness over the younger boy.

Maybe, something really good has come out of this eventful day.