From that day forward, His boss treated him strangely. He was complimenting his work, never moody and Taemin could feel his eyes on him from time to time, watching him as he was working. There was no apparent reason as to why he was doing what he was doing and Taemin was inherently confused about the whole situation.

Why would his boss change his attitude towards him so drastically after knowing about his son?  Did he pity him? Taemin wasn’t sure. But in the end, he was in no position to complain. He was able to clock in at eight thirty, leaving him with more than enough time to get Chanho ready for school, was rarely criticised and in general lived a way more relaxed life while still making the money they needed to survive.

It was not until about one month after their initiate conversation about Chanho that Mr. Choi personally approached him again and Taemin wished he hadn’t.

"Would you mind having lunch with me?" Mr. Choi had asked, leaving him absolutely speechless. Speechless to the point where he was unable to say no.

It was uncomfortable to sit in a restaurant with his boss. But for some reason, it was less uncomfortable than he had expected. Even though they mostly talked about work, the air around them wasn't half as suffocating as Taemin had expected it to be.

They managed to get through it comfortably and Taemin wondered if this was the real Choi Minho. He was different from when they were at work, his gaze warmer, less piercing.

"How's your son doing?" his boss asked while they were walking back to the office.

"He's healthy, that's what counts." Taemin replied, his mind immediately thinking about the struggles Chanho had to go through every single day – all of that just because he couldn't handle moving to another part of the city. But that was hardly something he wanted to share with his boss – who until a month ago had been the source of many of his hardships.

But Mr. Choi picked up on the sad undertone in his voice. "Is there anything wrong?"

Hearing these words felt strange. It was something Taemin hadn’t been asked in a long while. His family didn't care much, his friends, he hadn't seen in ages, and who else would be there to ask if he was alright?

Though he sometimes wished he had friends, in the end, the time spent with his son was so much more precious. It was rare enough for them to be together due to his job so he decided to use his precious time on Chanho instead of meeting friends who were in a completely different spot of their life, most of them finishing up their university degrees.

Ever since Chanho was born, it had been the two of them and Taemin never regretted sacrificing his social life for the well-being of his son.

"He's having some troubles at school that's all." Taemin finally admitted and walked a little faster.

"If there is anything I can help with, do let me know." Mr. Choi said right as they entered the office - multiple pairs of eyes watching them with big interest.

Things changed further from that day on. He felt as if his boss was in his proximity more often, sometimes even offering to take on some of his work which Taemin politely declined. One day, there was a box of juice on Taemin’s desk and frankly, there was only one person who would put it there. Only one person whom he had told about the fact that he loved orange juice.

Upon asking Mr. Choi about it, the latter had nonchalantly explained that he had pressed the wrong button at the vending machine and remembered that Taemin liked orange juice while he didn’t.

Of course, as they kept up semi-regular lunch-dates, the other employees started talking. Taemin strongly stood by the fact that all suspicions were unfounded. Apart from asking about Chanho from time to time, they just talked about work.

Though Taemin was flattered for the most part, he was also confused, mostly because of Mr. Choi’s frequent questions about Chanho.

“How is he doing?”

“If he ever wants to visit the office, you can bring him any time.”

It came to a point where the young father was getting unsure of what his bosses' real intentions were. It left him with no choice other than to confront him about it.

"Mr Choi, may I ask why are you so interested in me ever since you got to know that I have a son?" Trying his best not to sound offensive towards his boss or defensive over his son.

"Am I bothering you?" The tall male replied, putting his pen aside.

"May I be honest?"

"I am expecting you to be."

"Your interest, especially in my 7-year-old son bothers me and I would like to know your intentions towards us."

"I love kids. Not in THAT way. But I adore children for their views on the world. Being a father is something I always wanted, and I guess I tried to get a little taste of it by getting closer to you." He admitted and the young father immediately relaxed. The older didn’t seem to be lying.

"You can still become a father. You'll do a great job. I am sure." Taemin said, meaning it. Choi Minho had turned out to be quite different from his original impression of the cold boss.

"I won't..." Mr. Choi then said timidly, something Taemin had never experienced before. Choi Minho was anything but timid. Always standing up straight, looking confident and also acting like it. It was weird seeing him like this. But it was what followed that made Taemin’s throat close.

"I am gay."

Taemin’s hear sunk.

"Sir, you have no obligation to tell me." He immediately said, awkwardness spreading around them. This conversation was anything but appropriate.

"I know. I wanted to tell you."

"I won't tell anyone." The younger reassured, fully aware of the consequences the truth would bring.

"Thank you. I hope you won't misunderstand my intentions towards your family anymore. I will be trying to be more distant in the future. Please tell me if I ever overstep another boundary. It really isn’t what I intended. I am really sorry." His boss said with a sad undertone and Taemin suddenly felt bad.

"Do you want to come over for dinner one time?" He asked without thinking, immediately gritting his teeth together. This was getting out of hand but there had been something about the lack of life in Minho’s eyes as he spoke about being gay that made him want to cheer him up.  

He could let him meet Chanho. It wasn’t that big of a deal. If anything, Chanho would be stoked to meet someone new – unlike him, the young boy loved meeting strangers.

His boss looked absolutely flabbergasted and stayed silent. It reassured Taemin that he would be fine with having him over. So he added:

"I am sure Chanho would like to meet you."

Maybe his eyes played a trick on him, but Taemin could have sworn Choi Minho’s eyes were glossier than before.

"You don't have to do this Mr. Lee." His boss said, voice clearly strained.

"I know. I want to." Taemin replied with emphasis. Meaning it.

"We are going to get some company for dinner tonight" Taemin told Chanho when he picked him up from day-care, a bag full of fresh groceries in his arms. The