there's a soft knock on the door that catches minseok’s attention. he's been sitting in his office all day barely getting any work done, despite the favourable conditions that working from home allowed him to have. he checks his watch that tells him it's 5:30 and he spent the whole afternoon procrastinating. soon he hears another soft knock followed by four words. “dad, are you there?”

“come in,” he says and a big smile appears on his face as a head full of hair peeks through the door, “i didn't hear you get home. how was class?”

his teenage son, mark, enters the office, plopping down on an old chair next to the table minseok uses for work. “i just got here. school was dull today, except for dance class. are you done with work?”

minseok shrugs because even though he did nothing he can still call off the day, perks of working from home and always being ahead on the stuff he has to read and edit. his latest project is a fantasy book from an up and coming author that is supposedly the next hottest thing in town, but minseok can't help but be bored at his narrative, which makes his job harder.

“we should clean up the living room,” mark says, a glint in his eyes. “don't we have guests coming?”

“yes, you could say so. but i don't think jongdae minds the current state of our living room, i cleaned up this morning” minseok asks, suspicion in his eyes.

“we want him to feel at home here, don't we?” mark smiles, already on his feet and heading to the living room. “well, i’m cleaning anyway, i need to do something until he gets here.”

minseok has been dating jongdae for a little over a year. it took him a few months to introduce his boyfriend to his son and still now he was worried mark would get too attached to someone who owed both of them nothing. jongdae was respectful and seemed to really like minseok’s son but he had no obligation to raise a seventeen year old. doing that was minseok’s duty and he was more than fine with it. there was nothing he wouldn't do for mark, and protecting him from a potential heartbreak if him and jongdae ever broke up was also his burden to carry.

“what are we having for dinner?” mark asks from the living room, “can we order pizza?”. minseok just shakes his head lightly because he knows it's a lost battle to even try to argue with his son.

“sure, but you wash the dishes after dinner,” he still has to keep his pride as a parent, after all.

jongdae arrives a little after 7, in slacks and a white dress shirt that makes him look like the most boring office worker ever, a concept he would fit pretty well if it wasn't for his ear piercings and a tattoo minseok knows he has on his upper arm. he is the coolest person with a truly boring desk job and minseok is in love with him. not crazy helplessly in love because that was a thing for young people, just really in love and contemplating a future in which he sends his son off to college and jongdae holds his hand because he’s probably gonna cry. and then they move in together and grow old and maybe get a cat. jongdae can sing and play the guitar while minseok admires him. so maybe he is a little helplessly in love, but it's hard not to when jongdae is nice and cool and loves him back.

“so what you say we order pizza?” minseok asks after jongdae gives him a peck, before mark comes crawling out of his bedroom wearing what minseok could only categorize as atrocious. “why are you wearing sneakers inside the house and why is there a half woman on your shirt?” he asks while jongdae laughs.

“what's up, my man?” jongdae offers his fist for a bump and mark takes it, happily bumping his fist back. “if you dress up this cool the rest of us don't stand a chance trying to look cool. maybe you should save that for sunday if we get you permission to go.”

“that's a good idea, i'm changing right now” mark runs off to his bedroom while a confused minseok looks between his son and his boyfriend.

“what's on sunday?” he asks cautiously, already expecting to not like the answer. jongdae takes his hand and leads his to the couch. “what's on sunday, kim jongdae?”

“oh, i was gonna ask you about it tonight. there's a free concert at the park on sunday that mark told me about, and i was hoping you two could come with me. some rappers and rock bands will be performing and-”

“did he put you up to this? i know he can be pushy so if he's using you to go this concert you can tell me.” minseok uses his most grown-up parental voice as an attempt to squeeze information out of jongdae.

“i think he was at first,” jongdae laughs, “but i really want to go because one of my favorite bands is performing. it's been a while we haven't gone out the three of us so i guess it'll be fun? we can all have lunch together and then watch the concert. it starts early so it won't be over too late, in case you're worried about mark sleeping late.”

“that was a cute defense. but, sadly, i have a book release party that i have to attend on sunday, we can't go with you.” minseok says with sorrow.

“you can't go, but i could take mark? he's just gonna be home alone while you're at your work function anyway?” jongdae reasons, “i know you always say he shouldn't get attached to me but he's a great kid and what if i’m already attached to him? let me take him out for a day. do you trust me?”

mark walks past the two of them, now wearing something that resembles pyjamas and goes straight for the kitchen, ignoring them both in the process.

“i do, but-”

“i'm not going anywhere. i can't promise i’ll be around forever but i'm here right now.,” jongdae says in a small voice, “your son is an important part of your life and you're an important part of mine. he's not a child and even if in the future we were…..not together, he would understand.”

“what are you talking about?” mark walks in on them, a bag of snacks in one hand and a can of soda on the other.

“i thought we were ordering pizza” minseok says, “you're gonna be full before dinner.”

mark shrugs nonchalantly, already grabbing a handful of chips and shoving in his mouth.

“so, you and jongdae are going to a concert at the park on sunday?” minseok asks as mark freezes in his spot. “were you going to tell me anytime soon?”

“we were going to ask you first, dad” mark says with conviction. “can i go?”

minseok exhales deeply before muttering a “yes”, as mark promises he'll be nice and do the dishes the whole week (even though minseok would've let him go without any kind of compromise).

they order pizza and watch a movie and as soon as it's over mark retreats to his room, feigning a level of sleepiness minseok is sure he never saw before.

“you know, he said he would leave us alone.” jongdae whispers, smiling a little while getting closer to minseok on the couch.

“when did he say that?” minseok rolls his eyes.

“he texted me during the movie,” he's fully leaning against minseok's side, “he's a smart guy”.

“too smart for my liking. he was just a kid like two days ago and now he's waiting on college applications and talking about moving away to a dorm and this is too much,” minseok starts another movie. “soon he'll be going to parties and drinking and i'm not ready for this.”

“we'll figure things out as we go along. you raised him well, trust yourself a little,” jongdae gets interrupted when mark leaves his bedroom and makes his way to the bathroom in a hurry while saying something along the lines of 'pretend i'm not here’. minseok was blessed with the smartest kid he could ask for and he knows it.

“we'll figure things out? as in we? me and you?” minseok asks, curiosity getting the best of him.

“yeah, is that something you'd like? i know we’ve been dating for a while but i think it's time we really talk about what we want for the future. i want to live together, get a dog, send your kid off to college while you cry like a baby. you were focused on taking care of him for so long, you should let someone else take care of you too” jongdae pauses the movie before turning his body completely on the couch to face minseok.

“GET MARRIED” mark screams from the bathroom, his own father turning at least 7 different shades of red.

“GO TO SLEEP” jongdae screams back. “can we send him to college next week?”

minseok giggles a little before trying to think of some sort of answer. “take him to the concert on sunday and then we'll see where go from there. i need to take baby steps, i'm still not used to me being a 'we’ so i'm gonna need some more time. but there's definitely a future here, you're not wasting your time with us.” they are kissing when mark comes out of the bathroom.

“let's discuss your wedding, i feel like i should be best man”.

“go to sleep,” both of them say in an angry tone, but not really.

(jongdae takes him to the outdoors park concert and mark has fun hanging out with his father's cool boyfriend. later that night when mark briefly mentions that he wants to get piercings and tattoos like jongdae, after he turns eighteen, minseok has three consecutive mini heartattacks. he's so not ready for this.)