"It is you! Oh, who's this?"

"I'm sorry," Chanyeol sends a panicked look towards Junmyeon before shifting his gaze to Sehun but not looking at him in the eyes, "I need to go." 

"But hyung-"

"I don't want to see you, Sehun."

Chanyeol feels hurt by saying words he did not mean.

If Sehun is here, their father must have moved somewhere nearby as well as his stepmother. He does not want them to see him and Sehun together. Chanyeol curses inwardly as he gently drags Junmyeon to the counter.

He moved out far from where his family was staying. Why would Sehun be around here knowing the boy loves to cafe-hunt? There is only one answer.

His father must be searching for him.

Chanyeol does not want any trouble. He does not wish Sehun to get in trouble too. Glancing at the said boy, Chanyeol's chest wrenches at the sight. The boy is still waiting by the table. Sehun has grown so much. He is almost the same height as his.

"Let's go," Junmyeon gingerly tugs his hand after paying. Chanyeol does not even have the energy to stop Junmyeon from paying. He needs to be out of Sehun's sight as soon as possible.

They head to the exit, passing by the boy. Sehun has his head ducked, maybe crying or something else, Chanyeol does not want to know, or else he will stop and check on him. Junmyeon catches the stranger mumbling after they exited the cafe.

"But I missed you..."

The pair are still quiet even after they settle in Junmyeon's car. "That was my brother," Chanyeol blurts out after Junmyeon buckles the seatbelt for him. Junmyeon waits for him to continue.

"He's my... My half-brother."

Junmyeon reaches over to hold Chanyeol's hand and only then Chanyeol looks his way. He says carefully, "You didn't mean what you said earlier to him."

Chanyeol ducks his head, bringing the small hand to his forehead as he tears up, "It's... It's a long and complicated story." A cold palm slides against his cheek before his face is delicately turned to the side, facing Junmyeon's worried orbs.

"It's okay," Junmyeon caresses his thumb under Chanyeol's eye which is b with tears, "I'm listening." Chanyeol takes in a shuddering breath before telling him everything about his father and his dead mother with closed eyes.

Junmyeon never lets go of their clasped hands.

+++

Sehun never showed up anywhere else ever since that evening. Chanyeol feels relieved but sad at the same time. Sehun never disliked him.

In fact, the kid is constantly glued to him when they were living under the same roof.

He looked up to Chanyeol as his role model. Chanyeol this, Chanyeol that. And somehow, his stepmother did not like that. She thought something was wrong. 

"Chanyeol?"

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

He looks ahead at the empty document. Has he been staring at it for half an hour? Chanyeol rubs his face with his palms, groaning quietly in his throat. He also could not forget Sehun's bright face when he spotted them at the cafe that evening. 

"Do you want to see your brother?"

Chanyeol blinks, hands still near his face, "What?"

"When you left him at the cafe, he said that he missed you."

Chanyeol cannot think about anything for a moment. Sehun must have cried right after he left. Just like back then when he moved out.

Guilt washes all over his being. He did not say a word