How to be an ordinary human:

8.Have parents- Part 3

No  matter how idiotic or childish Choi Minho may seem like,when he decides on something. When he plans on doing something, he does it thoroughly. He will make sure every single little thing will go as plan. Because Choi Minho hates losing and if he fails, it is equivalent to him losing.

Therefore, when he made a pact with Taemin’s mom, Noriko to get them back together as a family, Minho made sure everything was in check. He had all the parts planned in his head.

 Step 1 : Hearing

 It was a Saturday and Minho picked Taemin early in the morning. He just told Taemin he wanted to visit somewhere and he needed Taemin to be there. Taemin, even though he was a little confused, went along with it because if he was with Minho,nothing else mattered.

They held hands the whole ride there. Minho’s left hand holding the steering while the other hand firmly held Taemin’s. As they reached the block, Taemin began to have déjà vu. He felt like he’s been there before. The bluish-grey buildings .The name of the roads. The signboards. Then Minho stopped his car in one of the carparks in the area.

“Where are we?” Taemin asked when Minho opened the door for him.

“I wanted to do some charity.” Minho smiled at him before opening his bonet and taking a several big plastic bags.

“Charity?” Taemin tilted his head slightly before helping Minho carry all the stuff which was a lot.

“What is all this?” Taemin asked as he followed Minho’s lead to this seemingly familiar place.

“Toys and books.” Minho answered before reaching the doorstep of the building.

Falcons Orphanage.

Taemin glared at Minho when he read the sign.

“Why are we here?” Taemin asked. His tone slightly turned sour.

“Charity.” and you. Minho smiled again at Taemin. He rang the bell twice before the head of the orphanage answered the door. She was a lovely old lady wearing a bright yellow dress. At least there was some life in the grey surroundings.

“You’re the one who called yesterday?” she smiled warmly at Minho.

“Yes.”

“The kids will be so happy seeing all the things you brought. You see, we don’t really have that many nice things for the kids here.” she said before inviting Minho in. Taemin walked in afters. Grudgingly dragging his feet into the place. He didn’t hate the place. In fact, this was the probably the only place Taemin had a normal childhood. He even remembered the old lady dressed in yellow, Mrs. Kitton. He remembered the bunk beds. The little horsie. The large book shelf that all the big kids would read. The little scribbles on the wall.

Minho were distributing the things he brought to about two dozen kids that were jumping up and down. They were happy to receive those toys.

Taemin stood at the corner of the big room, just looking at Minho.

“Aren’t you Taemin?” Mrs.Kitton suddenly asked the blonde boy. Taemin was slightly surprised when she talked to him, let alone remembered his name.

“Ah,yes.” Taemin answered. His voice was low and he was looking down at his feet.

“I knew you looked familiar. You and your mother look disturbingly alike.” the old lady said.

“My mother?”

“Lovely lady. She comes here every week for the last 10 years asking for you. Asking just in case you ever came back or if we received any information about you.”

“Every week? She comes here every week?” Taemin’s heart started to beat a little too fast.

“Well, not for the past month, she hasn’t. She merrily told me she found you the last time she came here to give out candy treats to the kids. I hope things are going well for the two of you. I can’t even imagine how her heart blew up when she found you.She’s been suffering all this time. Regretting that she ever left you here. You know, you are the only boy I have ever regretted for agreeing to an adoption.”

“Taemin, I’m done.” Minho suddenly interrupted their conversation.

“Let’s leave.” Taemin said to Minho.

“Send my regards to your mother.” Mrs. Kitton said to Taemin.

“Your mother?” Minho asked Taemin while buckling his seatbelt.

“Just drive.” Taemin said. Looking out of the window.

Step 2 : Seeing.

 It was still noon at the moment. Minho noticed the slight difference in Taemin’s attitude. He is a quiet but right now, he was more than quiet. This meant his plan was working.

“Are you hungry?” Minho asked the blonde,quiet boy.

“No.” came back the reply. Taemin was still looking out of the woman.

“Well, I’m hungry for something sweet.” Minho said. Taemin didn’t respond to him. So, Minho continued driving to the parts of the gloomy town. Driving for several minutes until he reached a candy shop.

Taemin’s Sugary Confections.

The shop was bright and colourful and big.

“I didn’t know you had a candy shop.” Minho said. Acting dumb.

“I don’t. It just has my name on it.” Taemin replied. Why was Minho taking him to these odd places today?

Minho stopped the engine and dragged Taemin out of his car.

“Don’t you want to come in?” Minho asked when Taemin refused to walk into the shop.

“No. I’ll wait outside.”

“But its candy shop.”

“I know.”

“What kind of person doesn’t want to roam in a candy shop?” Minho asked.

“The kind of person that can kill you if you don’t freaking hurry up and buy your candy.” Taemin threatened.

“Your loss.” Minho said. Skipping into the shop. Taemin looked through the display. He could see Minho at counter. Paying for his bags of sweets. Taemin could easily see the cashier. A smiling woman in her late thirties. Taemin finally figured out what Minho was up to and he didn’t like it one bit.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” Minho asked when he walked out of the Taemin’s Sugary Confections.

“Can I drive us home?” Taemin offered.

On their way back, Taemin drove ever so safely. Slowly and completely cautious until they reached the carpark of Vesper’s house. Suddenly Taemin sped up and rammed into the wall.

“Taemin!” Minho gasped. The look on Taemin’s face was terrifying.

Taemin reversed the car and slammed into the wall again. Repeating the action over and over,destroying the front of the car until Minho held Taemin’s hand firmly off the steering.

“What the hell are you doing?” Minho almost yelled at the boy.
“What the hell are you doing?” Taemin asked back to Minho.

Minho walked out of the car, walking to Taemin’s side of the door and pulled him outside. He carried Taemin and sat him on top of the car bonet.

“You have no right whatsoever in meddling with my past.” Taemin said to Minho.

“The hell I don’t. I am trying to show you how much your mother still loves you. Can’t you see?”

“Of course I can. She named a freaking candy shop after me. She looks for me at the ing orphanage every week for the past ten years.”

“So why can’t you forgive her?”

“Because Minho. She left me once, what makes you think she can’t do it again?” Taemin screamed at Minho.

“She won’t.” Minho cupped the the boy’s face.

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t.”

Step 3 : Feeling.

The following night, Minho took Taemin out again for dinner. He used the car he gave for Taemin's birthday since the blonde boy wrecked his car.

“I don’t want to see her.” Taemin groaned in the shiny black car.

“You can close your eyes when we get there.”

“Why are you making me do this?”

“Because I care for you.”

“If you cared for me, you wouldn’t make me have dinner with the only person I don’t ever want to see again.”

“What did you promise me last night before we went to bed?”

“That I’d give her a chance but-“

“No buts.” And silence filled up the car for the entire journey. The only reason why Taemin agreed to this was because Minho was serious and scary at the moment . And as it has been told before, the only thing in the world that Taemin is scared of is a serious Minho. It gives Taemin the chills and strange heart pains.

They reached Noriko’s house twenty minutes later.

“I don’t want to go in.” Taemin protested to come out of the car.

“You are coming in. Trust me. Everything will be fine.” Minho said before cupping Taemin’s face and giving him a chaste kiss.

They rang the bell and footsteps rushing towards the door was heard. Taemin’s heart beating a million miles per hour.

The door opened and Noriko smiled too brightly at the couple and then she realised all the things she has always wanted to say to Taemin seemed meaningless at the moment. Words could not compare to how much she has hurt her son and words cannot expressed how much she missed the boy.

Noriko couldn’t stop herself from hugging Taemin. She held the boy tightly while Taemin was dumbfounded. He didn’t move nor say anything.

Dinner was awkward. No one said a word still. Well, maybe just Minho since he tried to break the ice between the two.

After dinner, Minho offered to do the dishes,leaving the two of them alone.

“I need to go to the bathroom.” Taemin spoke for the first time after not talking for the past hour.

“Its on the left side of the kitchen.” Noriko answered equally as rushed as Taemin.

Taemin stayed in the bathroom for ten minutes before he could muster his courage to come back out. Trying to breathe properly. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t hate the woman who gave birth to him. When she hugged him previously, somehow all the anger he kept in his heart all these years disappeared.

When he walked out of the room, he suddenly noticed another room at the corner,next to the hall Noriko was currently in. The room had his name decorated on it. Taemin’s Room. Taemin couldn’t stop himself from entering the room.

Inside the walls of the room were painted blue. It had toys in one corner. A bookshelf filled with books. A bed with aiplanes on the bed sheet. Photoframes that had his pictures when he was a baby. A closet that was filled with new clothes that seemed too big to fit him.

And on the study table, it had a basket filled with letters addressed to him.

To my sweet Taemin.

Taemin opened the first letter and almost cried while reading it.

Being a spy meant he was trained to read fast, he read all the other nine letters in 5 minutes. All containing words of love and apologies.

Then Noriko walked into the room after realising Taemin was taking too long. She saw him sitting on the bed she made for him. Taemin’s face was red. He was trying to suppress tears from coming out and pouring.

She walked to him and hugged the boy. The two lay on the bed. Noriko held Taemin firmly,lovingly.

“I’m sorry, my sweet,sweet angel.” she said to her Taemin.

“Please, don’t ever leave me again.” Taemin clung on to his mother. Clutching on to her  like a small child.

And Minho locked the door after him when he left the two of them that night.