"When will Uncle Minho come over again?" Chanho asked the next day, baffling his father while he was cooking dinner.

"Uncle Minho?! Why are you calling Mr. Choi Uncle?" Taemin asked and Chanho seemed confused.

"Can I not? He's too old to be an older brother and too say old man. So, I call him Uncle."

Taemin shook his head and tried to explain to the young boy that he couldn't just talk casually to his boss.

"Chanho-ya. Mr. Choi is my boss. I work for him which means we need to talk to him politely. Call him Mr. Choi please."

"But I called him like that, and he liked it!" Chanho said, sulking.

Taemin sighed. Maybe it hasn't been a good idea to invite the older male into their lives. He was surprisingly fast at capturing his son's heart and there would be a time where he wouldn't be able to keep inviting Mr. Choi over. The short moment they spent alone in his bedroom was foreshadowing enough that it wasn't a good idea to get too friendly with each other. Taemin was better off just keeping his distance.

Sadly, that wasn't what his boss had in mind. The coming weeks, the latter more frequently turned up at Taemin's desk, asked him to spend lunch with him and one time even offered to drive him home.

For a while the young father tried to keep his composure, but it was getting more and more difficult around the handsome man who treated him better than any person had before.

Of course, Taemin knew his place and never crossed the professional line, keeping a proper distance, not inviting Mr. Choi over no matter how many times Chanho asked about “Uncle Minho”.

It was about a month after their shared dinner at Taemin’s house when the architecture firm just scored a big project, and it a company dinner to celebrate the deal was announced.

Taemin – as always politely turned down the invitation, trying to avoid any explanations by saying he had a prior engagement. It wasn’t a lie, but it also didn’t come close to the truth of him having to be home for his son.

“You are not coming?” Mr. Choi’s voice surprised Taemin.

“Yes, Sir. You know why I can’t.” the latter answered, and he could swear he saw a glimpse of disappointment in the taller’s eyes.

“You should be there too, You, worked hard for this project.”

“Mr. Choi, I am no architect and was in no way essential to this success. Anyone could have done what I did” Taemin answered arranging the papers on his desk while he spoke.

“That doesn’t change the fact that I have seen no one else running around for this project like you. You played a bigger role in this than you think. So you should be allowed to celebrate it properly.”

Taemin sighed and finally looked up from his desk. His boss wasn’t giving up.

“What is it to you if I am there or not?” he shot at the older male, immediately regretting his harsh tone when he saw Mr. Choi’s startled face. “I am sorry for my tone Sir, but you know that I can’t be there, so why are you pestering me with it?”

“Am I being too pushy? I just think you deserve a night off. Can’t someone watch over Chanho for one night?”

Another sigh left Taemin’s mouth before he whispered. “It’s not that easy…”

There was a short silence, neither of them knowing what to say.

“I would like to see you there on Friday. Give yourself one night. I am sure Chanho will be more than happy to let you go and have some fun.” Mr. Choi said and walked away, leaving the young father at his desk, many thoughts messing with his head.

It was a hassle, but Taemin was able to find someone to stay at their apartment with Chanho for Friday night so he could follow Mr. Choi's invitation.

Why he tried so hard to make it to the company dinner, he didn't know.

He had only joined once up to now – back when he first started his assistant job at the firm, hoping to give a good first impression he had made arrangements to be able to go as well but ever since then he had avoided company dinners at all costs. He hated arriving home drunk when his son was asleep. And the fact that they slept in the same bed didn’t make it any easier. The chances of waking him up were too big and it stressed him out.

 He really didn't want Chanho to see him in that state. He was the only role model the boy had - setting an example like that was the last thing Taemin wanted to do.

Friday came along fast and Chanho seemed to be more excited than Taemin was.

"I'm gonna have so much fun with Jonghyun-Hyung!!!" He said, smiling at the high school student who lived in one of the neighbouring apartments who agreed to watch over him for the night until Taemin returned.

"Of course you will." Taemin ruffled his son's hair, bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead before he turned to Jonghyun who was smiling at the young boy.

"As long as you get him to bed before 9, do whatever you want. Food is in the fridge, take what you need and if you want to watch TV after he falls asleep, you are welcome to do so!"

"Yes, Sir." Jonghyun said nodding the young father goodbye before the door closed and Taemin sighed, He was really going out. He was leaving Chanho on his own.  

It was strange to have an evening off. The feeling of having to go home to look after Chanho didn't disappear, not even when he entered the restaurant the others were already loudly discussing something work related in. He was the only one who went home to inform Jonghyun about everything, all the others had come straight from work and were already considerably tipsy as far as he could tell.

“AYYY TAEM” one of the loud men that worked in the design department shouted when he spotted said male, making the whole table turn their heads towards the newly arrived man.

“Come sit here, sit here.” Jinhee, a second-year intern called him over to a free seat that Taemin approached hesitantly.

At the beginning, he hesitated to drink, but after every shot of soju he was offered by senior architects  - that he could not refuse – he relaxed.

Was it really that bad to let loose for one night? Taemin’s tipsy mind decided that he deserved to have some fun for once and at one point he stopped refusing when people offered to refill his glass. Despite the alcohol in his system, he was painfully aware of the presence of Mr. Choi who seemed to watch him closely. Whenever he checked if his boss was still looking at him, their eyes met and Taemin was fast to avert his gaze.

To avoid the older male as good as he could, he instead involved himself in a deep conversation with the young woman next to him.

Jinhee was a smart individual and turned out to be a lot touchier when intoxicated and Taemin definitely felt the alcohol’s effects on her as well as himself. Her hands regularly felt up his thigh and at some point Taemin didn’t mind anymore. Despite not being ually attracted to women it was still nice to be touched by someone that was not his son. Touched, not with the love between family members but touched by someone who seemed to be attracted to him.

“You are really handsome.” Jinhee said at one point, making Taemin raise his eyebrows. It has been a while since he had felt desirable his constant stress the energy out of him, making him feel anything but attractive.

“You are pretty too.” He replied, earning a blush from the woman and a small punch in the upper arm that he barely felt.

It made him wonder if she could be a mother to his son, finally allowing the boy to go to school without shame.

Quickly he put the thought aside. That wouldn’t be fair to her.

The group soon left the restaurant, Jinhee holding onto Taemin’s arm while they walked across the street to some karaoke place. Normally this would be where Taemin obted out but the woman by his side wouldn’t have it, repeatedly begging him to stay and maybe eat some ramen at her place later.

“Mr. Lee?” the voice Taemin didn’t want to hear suddenly made it to his ears.

“Hm?” the young father turned around to face the tall male who had been watching his every move ever since he had entered the restaurant. It was actually surprising he hadn’t approached him earlier – especially since he had been the one inviting him.

“Are you having a good time?”

“Yes sure. It’s nice.” Taemin answered with a glance to the arm that was holding onto his own.

“Did everything go well with Chanho? Is someone with him?”

Taemin swallowed. Why did Mr. Choi bring up his son while Jinhee was standing there? He should be aware that he preferred to not talk about his child in a public setting – obviously afraid of judgment.

“He’s fine.” He answered simply, hoping to end the conversation.

“Who’s Chanho?” Jinhee asked, looking up with glossy eyes.

Taemin was about to make up a lie when Mr. Choi spoke up again.

“His son! Amazing boy.” He said and Jinhee’s eyes widened.

“I am so sorry.” The woman said, immediately letting go of his arm and re-joining the rest of the group, leaving Taemin completely alone with Choi Minho.

“Why did you do that?” Taemin asked almost desperately, not breaking eye contact, hoping to somehow threaten the older male to not do this again. “That was so uncalled for. It’s nothing you can just reveal?!”

“I overstepped a boundary. I am sorry.”

“If you know it, then don’t do it?” Taemin rolled his eyes

“I am sorry,