Or the time an argument ensued between Yoonjae and Haneul's appa and eomma

Naeun ran around the kitchen as she went through her usual morning routine. Her kids were seated around the table. Making sure they eat, she took a gulp of her almost cold coffee and proceeded to prepare their lunches.

She was a hands-on mom. Despite the businesses she and her husband had and having gone back to work recently for a few endorsements and magazine covers, her kids were still her number one priority.

Stifling a yawn as she put the food into the containers, she sighed as her argument with her husband that night replayed in her head. She was tired and angry from being up too late but was trying her best to not let her kids know

Yoonjae watched her out of the corner of his eye and grimaced when his appa’s phone began to ring and his eomma crossed the room and poked at it roughly until it stopped. He picked up his glass and took a sip to hide his face as he watched her pick up the phone and toss it to the back of the counter.

"Where's Appa?" he asked, setting his glass back on the table and flicking one of Haneul's cereal that had rolled across the table back towards her.

"Hajima! Oppa!" she cried and twisted in her chair to look at her mother. "Eomma," she whined.

"Just ignore him," Naeun told her daughter and then turned to Yoonjae. "Stop teasing your sister. Your father will be down soon."

"Is he taking us to school?" he asked again, hoping to pry some more information on what is happening between his parents. “He said he’ll pick me up from soccer practice today.”

Naeun stopped and looked at him with wide eyes because she didn't know what to say since she hadn't discussed carpool matters with Taemin that night, having stormed out to the guest room, out of anger. They had a driver but most times they insist on being the ones taking them to school and their other activities because driving them is another way to spend some, even little, time with them. They're determined to not let their jobs as public figures interfere with being parents.

"Eomma?" her six-year-old tried to get her attention again.

"I don't know. I’ll take you to school and I’ll pick you up if he doesn’t," she said firmly before taking out her phone to check the kids’ schedule for the day. They both have their language lessons after school and Yoonjae also had his soccer practice. That meant she had time to visit her boutique in the afternoon and maybe take Haneul to visit her mother, even if she had pick-up duties.

"Eat your breakfast, okay? I'll just go and change quickly," she said, turning to go to the bedroom.

When she was out of earshot, Haneul turned to her oppa.

"Oppa, are eomma and appa fighting?" she asked him, her eyebrows scrunching together.

Yoonjae, being the oppa, tried to make sure his younger sister didn't worry so he smiled, and said, "No, silly! They're fine!"

Taemin set the takeout containers on the counter and told Yoonjae and Haneul to get cleaned up while he checked the house for any sign of his wife.

He silently groaned and rubbed his tired eyes as he prepared the takeout for their kids. What exactly did he expect to find? Naeun had already texted him earlier about missing dinner, but not offering any explanation to him.

He waited for his kids to take their seats on the table, and in a few minutes, they were settled. Filling a glass of water for himself, he sat and joined them to eat.

"Where's eomma?" Yoonjae asked as he shoved a piece of pizza on his mouth and looked at his father intensely, waiting for an answer.

"I don't know where she is, Yoonjae," Taemin answered, his voice sounding tired.

"Maybe she’s upstairs," Haneul mused before shouting for her. “Eomma, we’re home!”

"No, aegi, she's not here," he answered. "So, how was school?" he asked, trying to change the flow of their conversation. “Soccer was fun, right?”

Yoonjae raised an eyebrow and stared at his dad. So did Haneul who had stopped eating.

Their dad had no choice but to face them both. Staring back at two pairs of questioning eyes, it was his turn to swallow the worry of what they might say or ask.

Sure enough, Haneul had no fear of speaking up, "Are you and Eomma gonna get a divorce?" His four-year-old has always been straightforward.

"What?" he asked, straightening up. "No, aegi! Why would you think that?"

"Appa, you’re not talking. This morning you didn’t kiss her goodbye and you don’t know where she is," his son said, recapping his observations of the situation. "My friend, Luhan, his parents got divorced and his dad took his brother with him to somewhere far but he stayed with his mom," he informed his dad.

"Appa, are you being mean to Eomma?" Haneul asked before he could respond to Yoonjae's inquiries.

"Uh, well, I..." Taemin tried to find a good way to answer with his derailed train of thought when Yoonjae stepped in.

"No, stupid. Appa’s not mean but I think they’re fighting."

"Okay," Taemin raised his voice, in an effort to extinguish the fire that was their questions "Yoonjae, don't call your sister stupid, it's not nice. Eomma and I had an argument, but we'll be fine. No one's getting a divorce, no one's going far away. We just need some time and talk it out. Don't worry about it, okay?"

With a pillow in his arm, Taemin was about to go head to the guest bedroom when the door of their room burst open. Yoonjae and Haneul happily and carelessly slipped inside.

Yoonjae immediately plopped down on his parents' bed while Haneul stopped in her tracks and stared at her father. "Appa, where are you going?"

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