#7 - I

“Milk and Cookies, Chocolate Fudge Brownie or” Jiyong looked at the cartons of ice cream as the little boy beside him continued on patiently. “Chocolate Nougat Crunch?”

Jiho stretched his little neck so that he could look at the ice creams on the top freezer. The boy was having too much trouble so Jiyong took the liberty of carrying him. “Hm, I dunno—what do you like Uncle Ji?” Jiho asked as he faced his uncle.

“Hm, Milk and Cookies.” He told the boy in his arms before looking over his shoulder where the mother can be seen. Unlike the two boys who were watching the Ice Age series, Chaerin preferred to stay in the dining room doing some further scribbles on her planner and making some arrangements for the party.

He inwardly sighed. She made it a point for the last three weeks that they maintain their distance that he didn’t get any private talks with her.

Jiyong put the boy down to get the ice cream before saying, “How about you Hunchae, would you like a scoop?” He faced her and waited for her reaction. She put down her pen before turning to face them and said, “No, I’m good.”

Then back to her scribbles.

Jiho and Jiyong looked at each other before shrugging. “Uncle Ji, are you not that close with my Mama anymore?” The boy asked as he watched his uncle take two spoons from a drawer.

He led Jiho towards the living room where a mattress was already spread for their use before replying, “I don’t know about that buddy. It seems your Mama no longer likes me.” He said quite sadly.

He played the cartoon and leaned on the couch behind him as he opened the carton. Jiyong held it between him and the little kid he grew so close with the past three weeks they were acquainted.

He looked at Jiho and not for the first time, smiled unconsciously over him. They grew so close that he already discarded the formalities and started calling Jiyong by ‘Uncle’ which is quite a privilege for Jiyong since he noticed that the boy was never that close to other older male.

He actually even considered the possibilities of the many what if’s in his head. Like, what if Jiho was his kid, what if then? Will he be a good father to such an adorable kid? He guessed he could be.

What if he never got drunk that faithful after graduation party, would he know what happened with Chaerin? Could he have stopped her from leaving? Or would she even leave in the first place? Jiyong forced his attention towards the screen and try to catch up with the naughtiness of Sid the Sloth.

Though she was in the dining room, he actually felt cozy and thanked his parents mentally for inviting him to stay with Chaerin and Jiho while they stay over at some old friend’s house. Of course, it could have been better if she was actually joining them with their small marathon.

What if she was on the other side of Jiho and shared their ice cream? Or maybe yet, what if she was curled beside him, enjoying the arm he had around her?

**

Chaerin looked at the dark living room where the laughter of Jiho was joined with that of Jiyong’s. She put the pen down and listened at their laughter. It could have been great if she could join them but she knew the line she drew between Jiyong and herself.

She needed that distance.

For herself, for Kim Na Hyun and Jiyong. Because these past few weeks of planning their engagement party, Na Hyun already noticed the inevitable closeness of the two boys and she didn’t like that – what more if Chaerin joined in?

People were already assuming that they were family and that Na Hyun was the eyesore fourth wheel when in truth, it was Chaerin and her son that stormed in to ruin the image of the couple. Her son, though unintentionally, was already grinding her client’s patience to bits and it was the distance that Chaerin tries to maintain that kept Na Hyun and her claws leashed.

However, she knew that the closeness of Jiyong with Jiho was way out of her control. She knew Jiho was a child that was hard to befriend, knew that her son had built defenses of his own and yet Jiyong with his charm and obvious openness broke in effortlessly.

It was out of her control so she let it be. So these past three weeks she had distanced nobody but herself from him. It was easier to work on his engagement with her defenses up and indestructible.

She sighed and looked at her planner where not many schedules where written, she was beginning to get bored and was tempted to join them for ice cream but then again, she remembered her supposed to be cold demeanor when it comes to Kwon Jiyong so she forced herself on brainstorming.

Then the door bell rang.

“I’ll get it.” She said in a loud enough voice for the boys to hear and they let her be.

When Chaerin passed by the living room, she saw that Jiho was already leaning towards Jiyong that his head was already on the latter’s chest. She stopped for a millisecond to take a mental picture.

Her son looked adorable. Jiho, for the first time, finally trusted one man inside his shields to be that close to him. Who knew that it would be her ex best friend who would have that favor?

She turned away to open the door – she was greeted by a bouquet of lilacs. Then Kim Hyun Joong’s smiling face appeared. “Um, okay—hello.” Chaerin said awkwardly as she accepted the flowers. “Oppa, what are you doing here?”

“For a meeting.” He said as he stuffed his hands on his coats’ pockets. When Chaerin raised a brow he gave a chuckle. “You said you’d be meeting me tomorrow for the flower arrangements for the party, but I have a sudden schedule to attend to that is why I’m here to meet with you in advance.”

Chaerin smelled the lilacs and noticed that Hyun Joong was looking at the house with a slight frown, “You’re staying with the Kwon’s?” He asked and as if on cue, two boys flanked Chaerin’s sides.

“Who are you?” Hyun Joong looked down and saw the same boy who slept on Chaerin’s lap the first time he saw her again. Her son – the boy he mistaken as Jiyong’s son.

“Anyeonghasseo, I’m Kim Hyun Joong.” He squatted to be in the same level as Jiho when he introduced himself. “You’re Lee Jiho, right?” He extended his hand towards Jiho.

Silence and Hyun Joong felt being judged by the little boy who looked too smart for his age. “Uncle Ji, let’s go.” And that’s when he noticed the other guy.

Jiyong was leaning on the door frame beside Chaerin, as if blocking his way in. “Good evening, Hyun Joong-ssi.” If the visitor felt judged by the way Jiho looked at him, he felt being sentenced of a crime when the older version of the boy looked at him. He inwardly laughed at the obvious secret Chaerin seemed to be hiding when it comes to these two boys.

“What brings you here at this hour?” Jiyong asked and Chaerin forced herself to stay quiet for she might be his parents’ visitor, it was still his house they were staying. His house meant his rights.

“I have a very late meeting with Chaerin.” He answered after he stood and accepted the look Jiyong gave him before he disappeared to follow the little boy’s request.

He gave sigh of relief. “Quite a welcome, Chae.” He laughed it off as Chaerin looked embarrassed and stressed over Jiyong and Jiho’s actions. “Just come in, oppa.”

**

Jiyong inwardly cringed at the endearment Chaerin was able to give Hyun Joong. It was an endearment he thought sounded special when it was for him, an endearment she never gave him the pleasure to hear again.

And it looked like he wasn’t the only one unhappy over the sudden visitor for Jiho was also frowning despite the silly antics of the two possums on the cartoon. “You okay, buddy?”

“I don’t like him.” Jiyong smiled though he quickly hid it. He wanted to agree with Jiho but to be a bad host meant being a bad influence so he said, “You can’t really say that you know, Jiroo. Remember, you didn’t like me at the first time too, right?”

He wanted to vomit with hearing himself say those lies towards the boy and he knew he was already a bad influence for lying.

“So you like him, Uncle?” Jiho asked.

“No.” He said honestly which caught Jiho’s attention. “You don’t?” Jiho confirmed and he gave a shook of his head. “Then   if you don’t like him too, does that mean I can still hate him?”

Jiyong gave a thoughtful look before answering, “I dunno buddy. Hate is such a strong word, maybe ‘ignore’ is better?”

Jiho just answered with a naughty smile which mirrored his own.

Yes, they were beginning to get closer.

A/N: This is part 1 of Chapter 7 ... part 2 will be uploaded soon ^^