Chansung

"What do you mean you decided to take control of your life? I told you to keep your relationship with Junho on the down low and you invited him over to spend the night with you and Jay?" Kim Jongup looked like he was holding on to his temper by a shred.

"I know what you said, Jongup. I was sitting in this exact seat when you told me." Chansung sighed. The last eighteen hours had been the worst and hardest of his life.  After Jea left with Jay, he and Junho had just sat in silence, holding each other until the pizza came. They'd eaten in silence too until Junho got all worked up about Jea never letting Chansung see Jay again. That was the reason he was sitting in Jongup's office.

"You said she was taking pictures?" Jongup carded his left hand through his dark hair. 

Chansung nodded "It's not like we were doing it on the coffee table. Jesus, the three of us were sitting on the couch watching a movie.  I had called out for pizza and Junho brought a cartoon movie for us to watch as a..." Chansung faltered, in a rough breath.

"A family." Jongup got up from his desk and walked around to the chairs across from his desk, sinking into the empty one next to Chansung.

"The doorbell rang and I thought it was the pizza, but it was Jea. She started swearing and using hateful language when she saw Junho and started taking pictures. I was near the door and Jay was so scared that he'd climbed into Junho's lap and held on for dear life. If she shows the pictures, all you're going to see are a scared little boy and me spending time with a friend. Jongup, she told me she'd make sure this was the last time I ever saw my son."

"That's not going to happen. Her lawyers could file an injunction to stop you from getting your scheduled custody, but there has to be a compelling reason to grant such a request, like Jay being in eminent danger or proof that some kind of abuse took place."

"At this point, I wouldn't put anything past her. She wants full custody of Jay so badly and she won't play fair." Chansung sank his face into his hands. He could feel a headache starting at the base of his skull.

Jongup set a hand on Chansung's shoulder "I know how hard this is for you." 

Chansung snorted, shaking his head "I don't think you do. You can go out tonight and bring home anyone you want. You can fall in love with anyone you want. Up until I met Junho, my life had no color." Chansung got up to pace around the spacious office "I went to work, came home, tried to keep the peace with Jea and raise my son the best way I knew how. Then, on the first day of school, I meet the man of my dreams. I know that sounds corny, but it's true. Junho is everything I could ever ask for in a husband and father for Jay. It's pretty obvious that Jay is just as crazy about Junho as I am."

Jongup nodded thoughtfully "It's only been a month or so that you've known each other and you really have these kinds of feelings for Junho?"

"Yes." Chansung sat back down "He treats Jay like my son is his son. Junho trusts my decisions and my judgment. All I want to do is start my life with him, but my ex-wife won't let me. She's making me chose between my son and the man I want to spend the rest of my life loving. You said it yourself that this case looks like revenge to you. It is revenge. She doesn't want Jay. She never has. How much longer do I have to pay for the sins of my past?" he looked up at his lawyer with pleading eyes.

"Hopefully not much longer if I have anything to say about it. I want you to go home and write up what happened last night with as much detail as you remember. Do NOT collaborate with Nash. I'm going to call him and ask him to do the same thing." Jongup sighed and gave Chansung's shoulder a squeeze "Part of this is my fault. I had no right to tell you to stay away from Junho, but in my defense." Jongup snorted "I felt it was the best way to protect your interests in this case. If Jea-ssi couldn't prove you were involved with another man then she had no case. But the truth of the matter was that I was shutting you up in the closet. Not just you, but Junho too."

"I could see the logic in your orders to keep me away from Junho, but the heart wants what it wants. Plus, if I had won this case, Jea would have just dragged me back into court once Junho and I were out and proud with our relationship. She's not going to give me a moment's peace until she gets her revenge."

"I never asked you this, but why do you think she's so hell-bent on ruining your life?" Jongup looked personally interested in Chansung's answer.

It was Chansung's turn to snort "Because I had the audacityto achieve my dreams. I found a way to go to school online and work part-time while Jea was pregnant with Jay. All she did was sit on the sofa and feel sorry for herself. I got my degree and the career of my dreams and she never finished her degree."

"You really think this is what it comes down to? Dreams coming true?" Jongup looked dubious.

"I'd bet my life on it."

Jongup nodded "Once I get the full picture from you and Junho about what happened last night, I'm going to get in touch with Jea-ssi's lawyers. 

Until the matter of Jea threatening not to let you see Jay again is settled, I think it's best if you and Junho stay apart. I'm so sorry to say that, Chansung, but if she manages to get this injunction, a judge won't look kindly on that ruling when it comes time to decide what's in Jay's best interest."

"Okay, I'll go home and write that up for you now."

"Is there a message I can pass on to Junho for you?"

Chansung took a deep breath "Tell him I'll love him with the last breath in my body."

Jongup nodded "Will do."

Junho

Junho was sitting on the sofa staring mindlessly at an episode of Hawaii Five-0 when he realized he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Shuffling into the kitchen, he went to the sink to wash his hands. He was reaching for the soap when he saw a strange man walking around and taking pictures in his back yard.

He walked to the back door and ripped it open "Can I help you?" what the hell was going on? Who the hell was this man and why the hell was he snapping pictures of Junho's yard and house? 

The man turned the camera and started snapping pictures of Junho "Is it true you're Hwang Chansung's lover?" he snapped a few more pictures as he advanced toward Junho's back deck.

Junho's mind was spinning. Was this guy some kind of private detective hired by Jea's lawyers? He started to shut the back door when the man ran up the stairs and wedged his foot in the door.

"How long have you been ing Jay's father? Does Little Wonder Clovers Montessori know you're gay?" the man smiled like it was Christmas and the Super Bowl rolled into one. 

"Get your foot out of the way or I'll call the cops." calling anyone would be a bit of a problem considering that his cell phone was sitting on the coffee table in the living room.

"How long have you been molesting the little boy?" the man shouted "Is that why you work at the school? So you can molest little boys?"

"Hey!" a strange but familiar sounding voice shouted "What do you think you're doing here?"

" off, pal, this doesn't concern you." the man turned back to Junho and started snapping more pictures.

"I'm Lee-ssi's attorney, so it damn well does concern me. Now who the hell are you and what are you doing here?" 

"Just doing my job." the man shrugged, finally taking his foot out of Junho's door.

"Get the hell out of here before I call the police and have you arrested for trespassing and harassment."

The man held out his arms in a "who, me?" gesture "Ain't no thing, chicken wing." the slimy stranger strode down the stairs and out the back gate.

"Jongup? Thank Christ!" Junho opened the door wide enough for Jongup to come in the house before sagging against it, once he'd shut it.

"Christ, Junho! Are you okay?" Jongup set his hands on Junho's shoulders.

Junho nodded "I am now. I was pretty scared when that man shoved his foot in the door. My phone is on the coffee table. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't showed up." he took a seat at the kitchen table and folded his hands in front of him "What are you doing here?"

Jongup sighed and pulled out the chair opposite from Junho "Chansung came to see me this morning. Told me all about what happened with Jea-ssi last night."

"It was awful. I've never seen a mother act like that in front of her child before. She was screaming and swearing and accusing me of..." Junho could still hear Jea's accusatory tone. He'd never forget her hate-filled words as long as he lived. 

"Chansung told me what she accused you both of."

"Jea was supposed to have Jay this weekend. That's why Chansung asked me to come over." to tell the truth, Junho had been more excited about spending the night as family rather than with just Chansung. It had been a dream come true until Jea barged in like a bull in a china shop.

"Wait! Say that again!" Jongup sat up straighter in his chair.

"This was Jea's weekend to have Jay. Chansung came over here Thursday afternoon to invite me to come spend Friday night with him. He had it all figured out that I'd park my car a few blocks away and sneak in the back door of the building." then they'd spend the entire weekend living on take-out and ing each other's brains out.

"So what happened to change that plan?" Jongup had an excited look about him, as if the story Junho was telling was music to his ears.

"When it's Jea's turn to pick Jay up from school, she shows up to get him. Friday, Hwang Narsha-ssi and Kwanghee-ssi came in to pick Jay up. Chansung told me later that Jea had texted him to pick up Jay." Junho thought about Chansung's handwritten love note, which he'd put in his wallet for safekeeping.

"Then she just showed up at Chansung's apartment unannounced?"

Junho nodded "We'd ordered out from Italiano's and when the door buzzer went off, we thought it was the pizza. If Chansung had asked who it was instead of just letting the person in..."

"You could have hidden in the closet?" Jongup rolled his eyes.

"Something like that." the defeated tone was back in Junho's voice "Chansung said that he was going to fight this thing to the end. He said we shouldn't have to hide our relationship and I went along with him because I missed him so damn much. I just wanted some time to sit and talk with him like we used to do. These last two weeks without him have been hell and because I wasn't strong enough to live for a little while without him, I probably cost him custody of his son."

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told him earlier today. I had no right to tell you not to see each other. There's nothing wrong with you and Chansung being in a relationship together and everyone in this city with kids at Little Wonder Clovers knows what an amazing teacher and advocate you are. No one will believe Jea-ssi's allegations for a second."

Junho shook his head sadly "That's where you're wrong, counselor. Once word of this gets around to our parents, kids are going to start getting pulled from my classroom. People still think that being a gay man also makes you a e."

"If you think Minjun is going to let that happen, you're sorely mistaken. You know my brother better than that." Jongup offered a genuine smile "His house is my next stop today. I'm gonna sit with him and help him draft a letter to all of the LWC parents and nip this thing in the bud. I'm with Chansung. We're going to fight this thing tooth and nail. Hate isn't going to win in this city."

Junho burst out laughing "That’s just the kind of sappy thing the dorky hero in a John Hughes movie would say."

"Well then call me pretty in pink."